Time of Darkness
by Fae 206
Summary: Kyoko thought that her grudges and dark energy was from her hatred of Sho. However, after being pushed over the edge, she sees that this darkness is part of a curse upon her. Scared of these new powers and after sending Ren to the hospital after he tries to help, she leaves LME to find out her powers. Will she succeed? Also, who is this man who has appointed himself her protector?
1. Chapter 1 - The Change

**AN:** I really wanted to write this and it's not like I have too many Skip Beat fics 😉 so, after seeing how many I had updated on the first page of the category, I've decided to update a little slower or less often. However, because of all of your support, I will promise to _try_ to write a new chapter of The Little Prince every Monday. Well, I hope you enjoy this Kyoko-centric fic.

 **Chapter One – The Change**

"You weren't aware that you were cursed, were you?" Reino asked as Kyoko looked around the room, she could see her veins from underneath her skin and she felt afraid at how they were red instead of blue. Wasn't unoxidized blood supposed to show as blue? Kyoko wrapped an arm around herself as if she was choking and she turned around before falling to the floor.

Her hair had changed to a deep black and was growing longer and she had a dark red and black dress with corset on. What was happening to her?

"You didn't believe me, did you?" Reino asked as Kyoko glared at him, pain shooting through her body. Reino smiled as the grudges seemed to come out as if living beings. Kyoko had felt angry because of something idiotic that Shou had said about Ren but now things weren't going away. She was stuck in this nightmare.

"Stop it!" she yelled as the pain turned inward and Kyoko felt the windows shatter around her and it felt like the walls were getting ripped apart. Kyoko felt everything around her turn darker and she could hear bells…so many bells. She wrapped her arms around herself as the world seemed to turn colder and she felt alone.

Why wasn't this darkness leaving her like it did most times?

She usually didn't live within the darkness, she usually was happy and her grudges respected her but now it seemed so different. She felt pain. As she reached out, she felt a sharp pain in her hand and as she touched the ground, black flowers appeared. She shook her head nervously wanting to crawl into a pit.

Reino looked at her, "I'll be waiting," he told her knowing that only one man at the agency had the power to even live after touching her. As he left the office, a few other people were alerted including Sawara. The head of the talent section looked in the room. There was a strange girl but more than that it was as if she were sitting in a fog that wouldn't leave the room it was in. He tried to take a step in before feeling cuts appear on his arms and pulled back.

"Whoever you are! Stop this now or we'll be forced to call the police!" he yelled out and Kyoko felt her voice was taken from her. She reached out to him and a purple energy came from her hand as the doorframe seemed to warp.

 _I'm sorry_ , Kyoko sobbed unsure of what she was doing, _I'm so sorry. I can't stop it. Please, if there is anyone out there, please help. I'm sorry,_ she whispered.

….

….

Ren was walking along after finishing a meeting with the president. He had been asked to talk about where he wanted his next point of his career to lead and he had mixed thoughts about it. He had never loved anyone as he did Kyoko, but his dream was still to work in America outside of his father's shadow. It was at this point that he was listening to a few girls talk whilst searching for where Yashiro was planning on meeting him.

"I don't know what happened, it's scary. It's as if there's this…this creature…she's one of those possessed girls out of horror films."

"Did you see anything else? Did anyone?" the second girl asked.

"The only thing that anyone is sure of is that the last person in that room was Love Me member number one," Ren looked at them in shock as they said this, "but I don't know if she summoned her or…"

"Love Me member number one?" Ren asked them, his voice in a look of horror. What was happening to Kyoko? He saw the girls nod and looked at them with a very serious expression. "Where was the room? Do you remember the office number?" he asked.

The first girl nodded and told him, "Why do you -" she started but Ren had already bolted off in the direction of the room.

When he arrived, he could sense the negative energy that was on the inside of the room and stepped in. He felt cold and weak but he could still move forward in a way that nobody else could, including the president who was looking on in horror. Kuon saw the young woman with her arms around her at the side of the room. He recognized the hair and the eyes, he recognized _her_.

"Mogami-san?" he asked as he stepped in front of her. He came to her level quickly, "Mogami-san, is that you?" he reached out to her but Kyoko looked at him and Ren tried to smile in a comforting manner despite how his body felt like it was slowly ripping apart.

"Tsuruga-san," she whispered. "I don't know what's happening, I…I didn't mean…" Ren pulled her into his arms to try to keep her safe. However, as her skin touched his, the pain was almost unbearable and Ren bit his top lip. She needed comfort right now and he would give her his all. Until he collapsed, he would make every attempt to help her.

"I know, I know, this isn't you, Mogami-san. You wouldn't do this," he said as he let his hand run over her back and through the long hair. It hurt and he could feel a wetness on his hands. He was bleeding? He had to fight it. "Can you think of good thoughts?" he asked her. "Think about when you did that acting test and the commercial with Kotonami-san. Think about how good it felt when you finally figured out Mio's character for Dark Moon. Think about that story that you told me of when you met Corn again in Guam."

Kyoko struggled as Ren felt cuts appear over his skin and he bit his top lip, he was running out of energy but as Kyoko started to think of happier things, the fog started to disappear and she started to feel a little better, her hair was still long and black but the dress was disappearing and changing into the pink Love Me outfit.

Ren tried to smile though the pain was getting to him and he felt dizzy. She was starting to hurt him less, but it wasn't all gone yet. As he held her though, Ren felt both contacts dislodge from his eyes and slip onto the ground. No…this couldn't happen just yet. No.

As Kyoko attempted to steady herself, she let go of Ren and stood up nervously. She noticed how he was concentrating on the floor as if afraid to look at her. Did he hate her that much? As she studied him, she saw the cuts and marks over his skin as if he had just lost in a fight. He still didn't look at her, closing his eyes in fact.

"Tsuruga-san," she said nervously as if her heart was breaking.

"Mogami-san, I can't look at you right now," he told her and Kyoko blinked seeing more people enter the room and she felt scared again. Ren could feel this change. "It's alright. It's not that I'm scared of you or that I dislike you in any way. Do you remember that for me, Ren Tsuruga is just my stage name?" he asked and Kyoko nodded nervously.

"Good. I can't look at you because my eyes…I use color contacts, just like I did when I played Actor X. I don't want to look at you because the color of my eyes…" he said weakly and Kyoko didn't understand. What was wrong with his eyes? What was he talking about?

"Mogami-san, if I look at you can you promise not to panic or get scared, can you even promise me that you won't get angry?" he asked, his eyes still closed.

"It's okay, Tsuruga-san, I won't get angry or think any less of you because of the color of your eyes," Kyoko attempted to promise and Ren thought about it feeling guilty. He knew that she needed his help as everyone else was wary of her. He nodded and opened his eyes before looking up at her.

Kyoko froze as she looked into those emerald eyes whilst he still had his brown hair. What? What was going on here? She took unsteady breaths before accidentally allowing her fear to target him. This was Corn? Had he just been pretending to be human? As she let her own pain into the air she saw Ren…Corn attempting to hold on before he collapsed on the floor, the wounds all over his body and his breaths labored.

"Corn?" Kyoko said before backing against the wall and shaking.

She saw the president rush over to him as his hair turned to a dark blond that was somewhere in between Ren's and Kuon's. Lory placed a hand on his throat to feel for his pulse. "Somebody call an ambulance! Tell them it's an emergency!" he yelled out at them. He looked in fear at Kyoko. "I think we need to get you someone too," he told her as Kyoko wrapped her arms around herself.

No apology would cover this.

What was worse was that she didn't know if this would happen again.

 **End of Chapter One**

 **Thank you so much for reading**

 **Review if you'd like to, Reviews are definitely considered in the quickness of the updates.**


	2. Chapter 2 - Icarus

**AN:** I'm having a lot of fun writing this so I hope you also have fun reading it

 **Chapter Two: Icarus**

Kyoko gripped to the newspaper as she sat in the Tokyo apartment she was renting. She hated to think that she had run away from everyone and that she had run away from her debts. She could imagine her mother saying that she was a disgrace and a disappointment but she most likely was.

It had only been two weeks since she had first learned of her powers and she had wanted to stay and get everything sorted out, however, she wasn't even able to do that. People would look at her as if she was a freak and she thought that even the president had been afraid of her.

Only one person was willing to touch her and he was said to be in a coma.

Kyoko closed her eyes as she remembered the forest around her, the woods in which she had run through to find somewhere to cry and she had found him there. She remembered his face, the emerald eyes, the way he always made her feel better. Pain beat heavily in her heart and Kyoko realized that she had caused branches to grow from the walls of the apartment.

She shivered again, too much pain in her chest. It was back again. She had to calm down.

What were the three things that Ren had advised her to concentrate on? There was the commercial with Moko-chan, that was a good place to start. She could remember Kanae and the way she felt happy with her. She could remember how it felt to know that she had a friend. She could remember when Moko told her what she was doing for money, a secret between friends.

As she thought about those things, the wood started to splinter and drop onto the floor, turning into dust. It was at this point that she heard a knock on the door.

How could anyone find her here?

Was it the landlord?

"Lady Kyoko," an unrecognized voice said from the outside of the room, "Lady Kyoko, you are ordered to unlock this door," the man said as he stood firm in his position.

Kyoko moved back slightly and wrapped an arm around herself. "Who are you?" she called out and heard the other person sigh softly.

"I am required to train you or to help you train in your powers," the man said before walking forward and touched the door, he came out of the other side of the door and looked at her as she had nervous breaths.

The man's face was completely covered and no details could be seen underneath the full face mask. He wore a silver hooded trench coat with numerous white belts on it and had white boots. He had a belt that had numerous small tubes on it as well. He looked at her unamused before taking in the situation.

He looked around at the walls and moved his hand in the air. All of a sudden there seemed to be a rush of wind and light filled the apartment, the trees that she had created had beautiful flower blossoms on them and it was almost as if you could hear the tranquil sounds of nature.

Kyoko blinked, this man seemed even taller than Ren. It was as if he were a video game character who was trying to win for the salvation of mankind. He turned to face Kyoko.

"We must leave for your training," he said to her and looked around, "Is there anything here that you need to take?" he asked and Kyoko paused just staring at him. She wanted to know who he was but she was afraid of asking. All she could do was stand there with an arm around her.

"There are a few things," she nodded before looking at him, "Do you know anything of Tsuruga-san?" she asked and the man tilted his head to the side.

"Are you messing with me? That man is not worth our time. Are you telling me that you would prefer to join the dark world or learn how to harness your power for good. If you are of the dark kin then I will waste no further time with you," the man said before holding out a bottle no bigger than a pill bottle and looked at her. "Your items will need to fit in here."

Kyoko's eyes widened and she looked at the bottle in disbelief. She held it without saying anything and the man turned his hand in the air again as everything spun around until it was all in the bottle. He put it back on his belt and looked at her with a role of his eyes. "Your talisman," he said as he handed her Corn.

"That's not really …" Kyoko argued and the man looked around as if not listening to her.

"We are leaving" he told her and Kyoko paused nervously before nodding. Maybe she would learn how Ren was doing. She just hoped that this wasn't a trap.

…..

…..

Lory stared up at Kuon as he stood in the office. He looked different from both Ren and Kuon before and Lory was surprised that Kyoko could have changed his look so drastically. The president was already pulling strings so that the public still thought that Ren was in a coma, but he could go out onto the street and not be recognized. Both of them had looked different, but _this_?

"I think I can make it so that you can get a break from your contracts, Kuon, but are you sure that you're alright?" he asked noticing the changes in the man.

Kuon looked at the man he had known since a young boy, "Boss, Kyoko has changed me in a way that I can't really recognize myself. I don't want to spend more time at this agency until I can figure out what is going on in my life. I hope that I see Mogami-san again but I need to take care of myself or I need some help" he looked to the doorway.

"Don't tell me that you're thinking of having Yashiro-san help you?" Lory said with a weak smile and Kuon shook his head.

"Come in," he called out and then went over to his father before smiling as his father held him in his arms. "My father has offered to help me," he said as Kuu came up to Lory and looked down. "I need to take care of myself," Kuon said with a hand to his chest.

Kuu looked at Kuon before turning to Lory. "Have you found her?" he asked and Lory nodded. They all knew who he was referring to. Kuon shifted awkwardly but didn't say anything.

"Do you wish to have the address?" Lory asked with a sadness about him.

"No," Kuu said boldly and with a rare flash of anger in his eyes, "Just make sure she stays away from my son."

Kuon nodded sadly, "She will do so," he said as Kuu put a supportive hand on his son's shoulder.

…..

…

Kyoko looked up at the stranger as he opened a gate and went into what appeared to be an abandoned shrine. There were trees all around it and as empty as it seemed there was a warm light and energy within the wooden buildings. "Are you sure we're in the right place?" she asked following the man who was now holding all of her possessions.

"We are if you don't want to be sealed within the darkness," he told her.

Kyoko frowned, she really didn't want to rely on a man she had just met, that always seemed to turn out badly for her. She felt a twinge in her heart when she thought about Ren and she thought about those emerald eyes. "Do you have a name that I can call you by?" she asked him and the man looked at her and nodded slowly.

"You may call me Icarus," he told her in Japanese with a look to the sky. He reached out a gloved hand. "It seems like tonight won't be a cold night. I should be able to fix us a fire."

Kyoko paused and took a deep breath in so as to steady herself before asking Icarus, "Can I ask about Tsuruga-san again? Are you able to hear any news on him?"

"Any news on the mortal will derail your teachings," Icarus told her, he saw her shift and reached out to place a hand on the top of her head, he gently tucked some strands behind her ear. "Don't worry, lady Kyoko. Once you have developed your skills I will tell you about what fate has befallen the mortal Ren."

Kyoko slowly nodded, "What happens to most people who get too close to someone like me?" Kyoko asked, "Are there others like me?"

"Others with different skills, yes," Icarus told her, "every skill set is different so no two people have been found to each possess the same range or intensity in technique." Icarus turned back to Kyoko only to find that she was still waiting to find out the answer to her main question. "As for a mortal who dares to get close to….to someone like you, they often find the experience fatal." He saw her about to cry and looked away. "I feel that that will be the fate of Ren Tsuruga," he said before entering the shrine. "Are you hungry? I will make you dinner or your choosing?" he offered as Kyoko's eyes widened.

She couldn't stand the thought that perhaps the one man who had ever really loved her would die because he had tried to help her. She closed her eyes and looked down. Corn was a fairy though so why was Icarus calling him a mortal, was Corn another identity as well.

"Icarus-san?" Kyoko asked and the man in front of her coughed.

"Icarus," he tried to tell her and Kyoko nodded.

"What was Ren Tsuruga's real name?" she asked and Icarus looked at her and laughed, he shook his head from side to side, his face still covered.

"It is an incredibly foolish name, one dripping with wealth and prestige," he warned her as Kyoko looked down.

"Then can I hear it?" she asked as she followed him into the shrine and was surprised when it appeared much bigger and much more modern on the inside as if it had come from a British sci fi show. "He was always a good friend to me who helped me a lot with my problems. He gave me a space to cry."

Icarus laughed, "Oh how sickeningly noble of him," he said. "Alright, Hizuri Kuon."

Kyoko's eyes widened and she took a step back before letting out a burst of fire but Icarus stepped forward and managed to conceal it in a ball, bringing it up and attaching it to the ceiling so it could serve as lighting for them.

"Wow" Kyoko said as she looked down, "Isn't there any way that he could have survived."

"There are ways but none seem plausible" Icarus told her, "and the burden he would have to carry would be a hard one. In fact, you may have just changed his life in a way that can't be repaired," he told her as Kyoko reached out to hit him, but Icarus stopped her hit with one fingertip, causing her to freeze for a moment. "Well, we have our light, pick out a bedroom and we'll begin our training in the morning. Inform me of which and I will release your items to you."

Kyoko looked at him before nodding. "I'll be back soon, but Icarus, why are you here?"

"I have been appointed your protector" the man said before sitting down. "I'll wait for you here."

Kyoko took another look at him and her eyes stung with tears. She turned around so that he wouldn't see them, _I'm so sorry, Kuon_.

 **End of Chapter Two**

 **Thank you for reading. All reviews appreciated.**

 **Thank you reviewers of Chapter One**

Ashenvale, Crazy4Animation, Erza, Guest, paulagato


	3. Chapter 3 - The Pegasus

**AN: I** know I keep updating this a lot but that's because it's really fun for me. I will be writing a new chapter of The Little Prince after I finish my classes tonight and I'm going to be working on other fics soon as well. Well, I hope you enjoy 😊

 **Chapter Three – The Pegasus**

As Kuon walked into the room of the house his parents had bought about an hour outside of Tokyo, he caught his father watching him. He saw the heartbreak as his father took in his completely changed appearance. "Morning," he said before feeling a sharp pain throughout his body. He placed a hand to his chest as he showed the pain on his face.

"Kuon," Kuu said as he got up and went over to his son, "Look at me," he told him, he was getting used to looking at this stranger as his son the more time they spent together. "Are you okay? Is this something that _she_ did to you?"

Kuon groaned as he felt the pain increase and he shook his head, "Dad," he said before falling onto the ground, the darkness attacking him. "I'm fine. Mogami-san didn't mean to do this to me. This wasn't her intent at all," he managed to kneel before his head hurt and Kuu came over to him.

"As much as I loved Kyoko, it takes a lot of work to pull someone back from the dead," he said as he knelt in front of his child and pulled his head into his chest to try to take away some of the pain. He found Kuon to fall again and placed his head gently on his lap. "You should stay away from her."

"I still love her," Kuon said as he allowed his father to hold him as if he were a child and not an adult man.

"Kuon, if you need to transform then do so," he told the darker blond. "I'll stay right here."

"I told you that I didn't want to transform in front of you, last time I did so Mom was really upset because I couldn't speak to you two. I lose control of myself when I transform," he said and Kuu sighed.

"It's okay," the older actor told his son, "I'll stay here and make sure that you're alright," he promised. "Kuon, you're right. I did love Kyoko and I care about her, I don't think she intended to do this but you can't keep your human form for too long, you _know_ that," Kuu said before seeing his son's body start to change.

Kuu gently allowed his hand to run down Kuon's body as he saw it grow larger. He saw his arms and legs bend as they grew as well and his fingers tucked into his hands as keratin wrapped around them turning them into hooves. His body grew whiter and his skin changed until it had a firmer elasticity to it. Out of his higher backside there was a tail growing and large wings appeared at his side. His neck grew longer and his face changed so that he had a long nose and two ears on the top of his head.

He whinnied as he looked up at his father, remembering him but unable to communicate with him. Long white hair settled on his neck and Kuu turned his rubs more comforting as he looked down on the face of his son's new form, a Pegasus.

"Does that feel better?" Kuu asked as he sat with the horse like head on his lap, looking into those emerald eyes. He saw Kuon nod a little and smiled before hearing the other occupant of the house. In alarm, Kuon attempted to speak only to have the sounds of a horse come out of his mouth. He tried to hide himself from his mother, a feat impossible for an animal his size.

"Hi, baby," Julie said as she came over to him and placed a hand between his nostrils. She placed one hand on either side of his face and kissed his nose. She knew that if her son hadn't agreed to take on this form then he would have stayed dead. "Darling, it's okay," she said as she saw the fear in his eyes. "It's okay." Julie gently placed her arms around his head and held him to her chest. "Sssh, my sweet little boy," she told him.

She watched as he stared at her to make sure that she was okay and then managed to lie down on the ground with his head on his front legs and his nose on his hooves. Julie pet him lovingly before going back to Kuu. "If I see one mark on his wings," she whispered to Kuu, "I'm going to find her and threaten her to leave him alone. He's not going through all of that again."

Kuu wrapped an arm around her, glad when Kuon seemed to be settling down to sleep. He nodded knowing the danger that his son would go through if he did come into contact with her. Maybe this time he came back as a Pegasus but next time he wouldn't be that lucky.

…..

…..

Kyoko looked at Icarus as he made her dinner in the kitchen, she disliked how he was just sitting there and turning his hand to make her the food. So, magic or powers or whatever she was now dealing with could do this too. She felt bad that there were people suffering and yet Icarus only seemed to be concerned with the book in his hands. She looked at it and raised an eyebrow

"You're reading a book on horse care?" she asked as Icarus looked at it and nodded. "So you can read under that cloth?"

"The cloth is to protect me. I can see out of it, however _you_ can not see me. Seems fair enough and so what if I'm reading about horse care. It is much more interesting than your kind thinks. I might want to own a horse one day," he said coldly and Kyoko blinked and looked around.

"Is that why you have so many oats," she said noticing a large bag of oats as well as some carrots on the counter. "Do you want a pet pony, Icarus?" she asked as the man looked at her, not changing his position and Kyoko could only imagine the expression behind that face.

"I have information that your precious Ren Tsuruga has died," he told her and Kyoko took a step back as she felt that she was stabbed. She bit her top lip. Was he just saying this because she had made fun of his secret obsession with horses. Icarus looked at her as he stopped the cooking and the smell of hamburgers hit Kyoko's nose but this time it made her feel sick. "I still feel his presence however," Icarus said as he looked at her. "He must have had white magic in him to allow him to do such," he said as he felt the direction of the wind despite his glove. "Interesting."

Kyoko blinked, her face looked betrayed and beneath her there seemed to be ice forming.

Icarus watched her and then looked down at the ice, "Try your best not to make a mess," he said before looking at the ceiling. "I believe that he has returned so he's not dead and yet he has been, that's why it's so interesting."

Kyoko continued to look confused "I don't…"

"When a mortal is loved with enough energy that the gates of the afterlife aren't closed, or if they have been selected to return bearing the weight of one of the eight elements, they often return to this world as a creature. Whether they are loved after they return however seals their fate. For example, one young lady once died and was returned to the earth as a fox who had the power of fire. Her fiancé found that it was hard to care for the fox as he did his fiancée, in this the fox died because the love was not offered freely." Icarus smiled before raising an eyebrow, "However, in your friend Kuon's case, the love is being carried by someone who may continue to love him regardless of form."

Kyoko paused as she looked at the man in front of her. "Are you saying that the person who Kuon loves?" she asked. She looked down, maybe she had been stupid to think that had been her. Was there someone else who cared about him and he loved in return.

"I'm saying that in _his_ case, the love is one of family. It is his father who has been able to help him return and it is his father's rejection that would cause his world to shatter. I wonder if we can test Kuu Hizuri on this love," Icarus smiled as he turned his hand.

Kyoko smiled happily at that, "It will never happen. I don't think you will ever see a day when Kuu Hizuri is incapable of loving Kuon."

"Well isn't that sweet," Icarus mocked her before looking in her direction. "I doubt that you'd love an animal. Of course, if he _and you_ learn to harness your energy, you can be together as humans. Maybe you'll even learn what kind of an animal _you_ can be," he said as Kyoko turned to him.

"Why do you have your face covered?" Kyoko challenged him, raising an eyebrow. Icarus turned away.

"You should never face your past" he said, "or at least you should be prepared before you do. The future that I had in the past was taken away from me when the girl I loved killed me," he said with a stern voice. "Then I was told that I had to protect you. If I showed you love and compassion, you wouldn't change and I want you to change Miss Mogami," he said with a harsh tone at the end which made Kyoko flinch.

"Eat what you want," Icarus said, seemingly upset, "We'll be training tomorrow and don't make me regret the time I've dedicated to you."

Kyoko stood silently as she watched him leave.

…..

…..

Kyoko couldn't sleep. Once again, she was living with someone who was little more than an asshole and with this particular person, she couldn't see their face. Maybe the pain was felt even worse because she hadn't seen their face. She only had the color white when she thought about Icarus. She hummed as she thought about what he had said about Kuon. So, he had died and been brought back to life as a creature using the love that Kuu had as an anchor?

At least there weren't a lot of people who loved their son as much as Kuu Hizuri did.

Kyoko looked out of the window as she tried to hold back her pain. Already she had torn off the wallpaper of the room and created holes in it from her anger and sadness. She just hoped that the outside world would afford her something more calming. As she looked out, she saw a shimmering as if something was covered in glitter and focused her attention. There was a large animal outside, moving around as if trying to find something to eat.

Kyoko felt herself tense slightly before she remembered what Icarus had said. Kuon could be an animal but would he even _want_ to find her?

Kyoko walked slowly to the door of her room and then slipped outside of the house in the shrine. She didn't know what kind of animal this was, but if Kuon had deliberately attempted to find her then she had to apologize to him. She was mad that he never told her who he was but his final acts had more than made up for that. He had died protecting her.

"Ku—Tsuruga-san?" Kyoko asked as she looked around, "Is that you, Tsuruga-san?" she saw the animal back away into the bushes. It was quite large.

 _Mogami-san, are you alright?_ He seemed to communicate to her with his thoughts. Kyoko paused nervously and created a fist before nodding.

"I'm doing alright. It's really really good to hear your voice," she said with tears in her eyes. She looked around for him, "Tsuruga-san, where are you? Can I see you?"

 _I'm not human anymore, Mogami-san. I'm not a fairy either. I'm not sure you -_

"I want to see you, I know that you're Corn and that makes me miss you even more," Kyoko admitted as she looked down. "You weren't afraid of coming close to me. You were the only person who wasn't afraid of touching me. I want to be with you,"

 _Kuon,_ Kuon said as he moved away from the trees, _My name is Kuon, not Corn, not Ren. I'd like to be your friend too. This form that I'm in, it's…it might be frightening to you._

Kyoko looked down and shook her head. She froze as she saw the Pegasus approach her and stand in front of her, spreading his wings out as he looked at her. He dropped down onto one knee as his eyes maintained contact with hers.

 _Hello, Kyoko_ he said as he looked at her and Kyoko placed a hand out with a weak laugh.

"So, you get to be gorgeous no matter what sort of life form you are, not fair to the rest of us," she winked and Kuon smiled as he allowed her to touch his nose. However, as she did he felt a little pain and moved back.

 _Maybe we could start off not touching_ , he said to her as Kyoko nodded.

She looked at the black marks on his front leg, they were faint and disappearing quickly but she knew that she had hurt him. Icarus had said something about him being human again one day if he could get anchored down enough. She saw Kuon's hoof get caught in the dirt and he seemed to be moving it side to side.

"Kuon, is your leg hurt?" she asked him cautiously.

"Hey! I can see you out there!" Kyoko heard Icarus say but Kyoko ignored him. She didn't want to touch Kuon but she was worried about him. He seemed to move his hoof more violently and Icarus's voice sounded louder. "So," Icarus laughed as Kuon closed his eyes and let air blow out of his nose. "You really do enjoy hurting people, don't you?" he asked and Kyoko turned around.

A moment later, Icarus was approaching her and Kyoko stood her ground looking at him.

"He's my friend," she said as Icarus paused and looked around her. Kyoko looked back at where Kuon had been only to find that he had gone. How could a creature that size move without her realizing it, she had known it when he had arrived.

"What are you looking for?" Icarus asked as he grabbed Kyoko's arm but then pulled back as if he were stung. He looked at the white coat where there were grey marks and moved his hand making them disappear. "I hope you haven't done too much harm to your supposed friend," he told her as Kyoko looked up at the sky.

"Please be safe, Kuon."

 **End of Chapter Three**

 **Reviews are very much appreciated**

 **Thank you to reviewers of Chapter Two**

Ashenvale, Crazy4Animation, Erza

So, what do you guys think of Icarus?


	4. Chapter 4 - The Trainees

**AN:** This is definitely a shorter chapter than I usually do but I thought that the twist deserved the gravity of stopping at that point. I really hope you enjoy it, I know how different it is than other fics so hopefully you like it 😊

 **Chapter Four – The Trainees**

As she sat on the bed that Icarus had provided for her to sleep on, Kyoko thought about how she had seen Kuon and at least – though he was a Pegasus – he was alive. She wanted to think that he was out there in the sky and was happy flying around but this wasn't a place where people didn't live. He was most likely scared and was being hidden by the Hizuris but at least he was alive.

Kyoko felt tears come to her eyes as she thought of how he had tried his best to comfort her and make sure that she was calm. He had been hurt because of her and more than that, he had been hurt because he had attempted to help her. There was nothing she could do but apologize for that.

She still loved him. He had come to her as a Pegasus because maybe he was afraid to leave her all alone. He was afraid for her and of what she was going through. That was a way of showing love, wasn't it? Kyoko smiled as she thought about the horse only to hear a knock on the door.

Kyoko quickly took a look at the clock. It was six in the morning.

Icarus _had_ to be kidding her. She had barely slept and he wanted to work on her training right now? She wasn't in control of her powers and so if something did happen, did that mean that she was allowed to blame him for it?

"Are you dressed?" he asked and Kyoko stood up and opened the door. She felt herself start to melt the doorknob and pulled her hand back. Icarus hummed and looked at the door. Kyoko could feel the disappointment in his just his body language though she really wanted to see the face that was behind that mask.

"I don't think we're starting our training too early at all," he told her as he closed his eyes and was able to return the knob to its original shape. "How could I leave you alone?" he asked. "You're obviously irresponsible with no knowledge of handling your gift. You're unbelievable as a…whatever you claim yourself as."

Kyoko stared at her protector and then at the door knob and looked up. "So, can I ask what we are training with today?" she asked and Icarus looked at her.

"We're training your special gift," he said before laughing coldly, "Whatever _that_ is."

"Can you be a little more specific? Are we going anywhere?" Kyoko asked and Icarus looked at her and his head moved up as he did a full body check of her.

"Warm clothes," he told her, "We'll be trying to accept your powers today. Warm clothes. At least if you burn those then you'll have a body underneath."

Kyoko sighed and was relieved when he had left. She really didn't understand this guy. She didn't understand how she kept winding up with these jerks but Icarus, Icarus was a huge question mark. Would he even be here if his boss hadn't sent him to check up on her. Who was he or at least who had he been?

…..

…..

Kyoko frowned as she stood opposite Icarus in the shrine. She looked at the ground and felt her hand shaking as Icarus approached her. As Icarus took her hand she felt as if he was taking in the pain into himself. He threw it at the ground as if it was a ball and saw it turn into soft snow.

"Don't start making these mistakes now, keep your head on your shoulders," he said before Kyoko could imagine him rolling his eyes in disgust. She looked at him before taking deep breaths and heard him laugh at her, "You're worried about your friend the horse? You're making all of this drama because of a horse?"

Kyoko stood firm, "Well tell me what you want me to do. I didn't want this to happen. Don't you realize that I think I killed Kuon!?"

Icarus laughed again, "Well you did, you did kill him but he survived. Now can you please show me that you actually know what you're doing and you're not just having lucky shots. Not that someone like you can -"

"Fine. Just because you can't keep Kuon as your show pony," Kyoko said before she bent in half and Icarus looked at her before coming closer to her. He sank down in front of her and she just wished she could see who he really was. "Tell me what I'm supposed to be doing. You call this training and yet you tell me to just do whatever my powers tell me to do."

Icarus sighed, "I believe in you. I at least believe that you're not giving me your best work. I was dead for two long years before I came back for you. Why would I waste my time on someone who is unable to work and show their guts. I was banished into a world where I had to fight for survival so this time _you're_ going to have to fight."

Kyoko stepped back as she looked up with confidence in herself and she smiled at the man in front of her. "Let's get back to training," she said before sighing, "but can you _please_ at least hint at an objective for this next training practice even if you think it's stupid."

"I want to see you handle weapons and I want to see you become one with them," he said before sighing. "Let's just get some roasted frog legs," he said as Kyoko stared at him confused. She put an arm around herself. Icarus was teasing her by using words that Kuon had said in the past. Icarus was trying to win this situation as if the situation itself was some stupid game.

As she followed Icarus to where there were weapons kept, she saw the way he moved among the weapons and the way he touched them. Had he said earlier that he had come back from the future to train her? Was that usual for people to do that. Maybe if they were expert teachers who were able to lead by example but it seemed a lot to give up.

"Why the name Icarus?" she asked and he froze. "It doesn't seem a name that a man who died in the past would have unless you _are_ Greek." Kyoko walked over to some daggers and as she reached out for one, she saw the metal seem to bond to her skin and she felt as if the blade was sinking into her arm. She bit her top lip in pain before seeing him grab her arm and try to help her.

"What makes you think that I'm actually human?" he asked. He yanked her hand to where he could see her wrist and started speaking and whispering words which separated her skin from the weapon and felt as if she had just exited a bath. "For all you know I could be a manipulative monster from the depths of hell."

"I don't think that. I think that as you said, the girl that you loved killed you and…" she reached out to him but he had taken a step away from her and she could only reach the mask on his face. She slipped her fingers over the material before seeing him step away from her, the anger felt in his movement.

"Pick up the bow," he pointed to her as he looked at her. "Why are you trying so hard to figure out who I am? I used to be human. I used to be a living breathing person but I'm not. I refuse to show you my true form so why are you acting so entitled that you need to know it."

Kyoko looked at him and reached out for the weapon, somehow as she touched it she felt as if Ren was holding her. Had this been something else that Icarus had done for her. Had he put the special feeling that was Ren's warmth into that weapon. It would make it easier for her to hold.

As the two of them stood there, there was the sound of water dripping from a tap and Kyoko looked around, had they left something on? She looked up at Icarus and saw the way he stood there with his body in a fighting stance.

"Don't move," he whispered to her.

"If the water is dripping we should find out where it's coming from," Kyoko told him and Icarus gave an annoyed exhale.

"Don't move. Don't speak," he whispered to her. "If you can understand normal human behavior then keep entirely silent," he warned her and stopped as he saw a black haired girl with a leather jacket, white shirt, and black pants enter. He looked at her before frowning.

"Who is -" Kyoko whispered as she tried to see through Icarus.

"Wow, it's like no time passed at all since we were training together," the woman said and Kyoko looked at Icarus to see that he wasn't moving. He was guarding her and protecting her as if this woman was dangerous and extremely unpredictable. Was that the case?

"Neptune," Icarus whispered as he watched her and saw her start to make it rain. "What are your plans today? I don't want to do anything else than train here. I know that you have no interest in this girl and her dark powers. You're always after profit and put humanity's safety after your own needs."

"Oh stop playing this game and blaming everybody, what would you say if I just came to say hello to you," Neptune said as she stood with a grin. "And my own interest in this girl. No. You can have her, we're on the same side but why don't you use your real name on -"

"My real name is only to be used by those people I feel are safe using it," Icarus growled out and Neptune lifted her hand up and as if a great wave was rushing against his face, she pulled off his mask.

Kyoko saw the mask and stared up before freezing.

The emerald eyes which turned to a burnt sienna. The blond hair that looked like treasure. The face that she had seen portray a range of emotions.

"So, what is your real desire for this woman, Kuon?"

 **End of Chapter Four**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you so much, reviewers of Chapter Three**

Crazy4Animation, Erza, Guest, Kris, paulagato


	5. Chapter 5 - Hooves and Heartbeats

**AN:** Oh no 😊 You guys all knew the twist before it was coming 😉 well I hope you enjoy

 **Chapter Five – Hooves and Heartbeats**

Kyoko took deep breaths to calm herself as she looked at the man that she had thought was Icarus. She hadn't known who Icarus was but what she did know was that she had _not_ expected it to be Kuon who was there. Maybe it was because Icarus had seemed to yell at her more, giving her instructions to do things and sometimes not explaining his thoughts but letting her guess them. Maybe it was the saying of the girl that he loved killed him but he came back from the future?

All she could see now was Kuon looking at the girl, Neptune, and both of them sharing more in their gaze towards each other than recognition. Some might even think it looked like betrayal and not romantic betrayal. Had something happened in the two years that Kuon had lived but had come back from?

"Two years?" she asked but Kuon didn't seem to take any notice of her.

Neptune laughed and she brought some water up in her hands, "Seems like you have a lot to explain, Kuon," she said before blowing some ice at them and disappearing in the mist.

As she had gone, Kyoko turned all of her attention to Kuon.

"Kuon?" she asked as he just stared off into the distance, "Tsuruga-san?" she asked wanting for him to respond. She smiled happily but instead of answering her, he just picked up the mask and put it over his face again. "Tsuruga-san, I'm so happy to -"

"It's Icarus," Kuon nodded as Kyoko took a step back as if she had been hit. She stared at him and nodded slowly. She had so many questions for him but it didn't seem as if the answers would come instantly.

"Why?" Kyoko asked and Kuon – Icarus looked in front of him.

"You need training more than anything. I came here to take care of you, to make sure that you didn't let your emotions or your fear take you over to the dark side. I need to remain a teacher and I cannot let any passion or subjective emotions derail my teaching," he said as Kyoko looked at him with a weak smile.

Did he hate her? Had she caused for him to hate her? Well, she had killed him.

Icarus sighed as he looked at her shaking hand and then stared up at the sky. "I suppose we have time to take a break right now, but you are to stay with me. I'll prepare us something to eat," he said before giving out an exhausted sigh which carried two years-worth of pain.

"Why the name Icarus?" Kyoko asked as she followed him into their temporary residence.

"Because he flew too close to the sun and had his wings burned off. His father created the wings that they used to escape the tower. I remember that you remembered one of the stories I told you of how I tried to fly as a fairy but my father's hands caused me to plummet," he told her as Kyoko smiled weakly. Had he purposefully used that name because of the stories. Was she expected to know who he was, maybe she should have been watching him more closely. Instead she closed her eyes and asked, "Did you learn how to cook?"

…..

…..

Icarus had prepared a good meal for the two of them, apparently having magical elemental powers came in handy in many ways. He looked over at Kyoko and sighed. "I am going to take the mask off but only because it's easier to eat that way," he told her before he removed it and then ran a hand through his blond hair. He looked exhausted.

"Are you okay?" Kyoko asked as she looked at the soup before her and smelled it. Before she could really speak to Ren about any of her problems. He would always greet her with a smile and then listen to her. He always had good advice and she could trust him. However, as they sat together he didn't seem to be the same person as the godlike mentor.

"I'm fine. The food is fine, I was cooking for myself before," he said as he started to eat the rice and looked away. He needed to make sure that this was kept away from his father. If his dad discovered he had been training Kyoko then the trust would be broken. Although the trust would hurt to lose, Kuon was able to live as long as his father kept on loving him.

Out of respect he shouldn't push that too far.

"So, we haven't seen each other for two years?" Kyoko asked and Kuon looked at the rice.

"It's been two years that have passed in the spirit world however the spirit world has multiple exit points and you can choose where you exit from. I had no idea that Neptune exited with me. The path she had told me about was twenty years further than this time," Kuon said as if this was natural.

"Are the two of you together?" Kyoko asked and Kuon raised an eyebrow whilst still not giving her eye contact.

"Would that be a problem for you if we were?" he asked and Kyoko sat back a little. She put her hands in her lap and looked down. She didn't want to cry in front of him. She didn't want for him to think of her as weak.

"No, it would be okay…" she said in a hushed tone and Kuon sighed.

"We are not and never were a couple. We were both trained by the same teacher. We underwent hours of training and sparring and meditation a day with only ourselves, the teacher, and the livestock," he looked up before closing his eyes. "One of the many conditions for returning to the earth-bound realm is that you have to take on a new form of the livestock. It is a lowering of the self ideal."

"So, you decided to become a Pegasus?" Kyoko asked as she watched him. She smiled as she felt that he was warming up a little. Perhaps killing him hadn't done as much damage to their relationship as she thought that it had. That was truly strange to think about. No wonder he was angry. She had killed him.

"I chose to become a Pegasus because of the traits of the creature. When we were choosing, we had to study the animal and I felt that it would help me more if that were the animal. I am not allowed to spend too much time as a man so sometimes I have to become my animal form," he tried to explain as he picked up the bowl of soup. "Neptune, if you're wondering, transforms to a water dragon."

"Is it because it's a flying horse?" Kyoko asked and Kuon closed his eyes and nodded.

"Yes, that might be one of the reasons," he explained before he looked down. "It's a weird feeling being here again, not being deceased, I really have my father to thank for that." He sighed before bowing his head, "Kyoko, I'm not looking at you because I don't want to get hurt."

The younger girl looked at him as if heartbroken, she bowed her head and tried hard to settle herself. "Does even being around me and us making eye contact hurt you? Is it because of the dark magic that I couldn't control? Why are you here if -"

She froze as she felt a warmth on her forehead and looked up to see Kuon looking at her with a calm expression. She gazed into those emerald eyes and felt comforted by the fact that he was here with her. He was the one that was attempting to teach her. "I am in love with you," he told her. "That is why it hurts because I am in love with you. I came back because of that love and even if you don't -"

Kyoko shivered before throwing her arms around him. "I love you, you have no idea how much. I'm so honored, so grateful that you managed to come back for me. It doesn't matter what you've been through or who you've become, you're my prince." Kyoko looked down and turned a deep red in shade whilst hearing Kuon chuckle a little bit.

"Really?" he asked as he sat back down in his seat. He watched her. "You are truly adorable," he smiled and Kyoko shook her head quickly.

"As you said I'm full of dark magic and I don't know how to get rid of it. I really don't want to go around hurting people and to know that I killed you and because of me you had to go through all of that for two years. I'm really sorry," she apologized and Kuon sighed as he sat down opposite her and held her hand. Kyoko's eyes widened as she felt his heart change speed until it matched her own.

"I came back here because I love you. I looked into myself during those years and I realized that what mattered to me most was how much I cared about you. I knew that I wanted to help you even if you hated me. I knew that I wanted you to not lose because others wanted to trap you and to trick you. I believed that by making myself your teacher and your protector, I could give you a happy life."

Kuon sighed before taking her hand and kissing it. He set it down and looked at her as her face had softened and she looked incredibly happy. "I'm not going easy on you," he pointed at her. "Learning your elemental magic is a lot harder in the earth realm than in the spirit realm and I am still acting as Icarus."

Kyoko blushed before nodding excitedly, "Thank you," she whispered, "Thank you so much," she leaned forwards and kissed him. Was this what it meant to really be in love with somebody?

…..

…..

After she had found out who Icarus was and what he was doing there, she had been able to concentrate more. Not only did she want to improve for the reasons that Kuon had told her concerning her dark energy abilities, but she also wanted to impress him. She wanted to show him that he had made the best decision in coming back for her. She wanted to show him that she could fight along side him.

She took a few breaths in and out before finding a towel to be thrown to her. She caught it and looked at it before turning to Icarus and seeing him take the mask off.

"That should be enough for today," Kuon called out to her, "Good job. You're making a lot of improvements. Now, go take a shower there's something that I have to do," he told her and Kyoko tilted her head to the side unsure what to say to him or whether or not to do anything.

"Kuon?" she asked and saw him look back at her, "Thank you for not going easy on me today," she called out and saw him nod. She smiled to herself before going to take a bath and get clean.

An hour later she was walking through the house and realized that Kuon wasn't there. She smiled softly think that he would be with his parents. It was impossible that Kuu was ever going to stop loving him but Kuu didn't want him hurt either. Was there a chance that _she_ could hurt him?

She looked out the window before seeing the Pegasus sleeping under a tree. She grabbed a large blanket along with a smaller one and walked over to him. "Mind if I sit with you?" she asked as he lifted up a wing to give her more space. Kyoko threw the blanket over him before sitting with her back against his body. She smiled as he gently placed his wing over her like a feather blanket.

"The moon is beautiful tonight," she told him as he nodded.

She turned to him again and kissed him gently on his coat, "Thank you again, Kuon. My brave and noble prince."

 **End of Chapter Five**

 **Thank you for Reading**

 **Thank you reviewers of Chapter Four**

Brennakai, Guest, Erza, and ktoll9


	6. Chapter 6 - Temporary Homes

**AN:** I really hope you enjoy this chapter. There are going to be flashbacks of how Kuon became Icarus and what he both lost and gained from his experience. Also, I was planning on updating a whole bunch of Skip Beat fics together but lost my drive. There are still some fics that I really do want to update but there are some others that I want to pause on. I'd like to know what you guys think since these might not be the most popular fics. I think I'll gain my inspiration back but the audition story arc seems to have been dragged out so long that if I don't see new Ren story soon I'll feel bored.

 **Chapter Six – Temporary Homes**

As Kuon returned to the house where his parents were staying, he walked out into the back yard where his father was. It was pretty early in the morning and despite the fact that his father was an early riser, this seemed too early even for him. Kuon stepped forwards looking like somebody else but somebody who Kuu had accepted as him, Kuon Hizuri. This was the effect of the white magic that was in his blood now.

"Hey," he said as Kuu immediately turned, "Can I join you?" he asked and Kuu nodded as he gestured to the bench.

"Let's sit over there, are you okay? When you didn't come back last night -" he said as Kuon felt his heart ache. His dad had done so much for him and he was going against his wishes but he couldn't help it. Kuon loved Kyoko. He had to help her.

"I spent the night outside as a Pegasus," he said before looking at the sky with Kuu looking him over. Kuu paused as he saw that his son's hand had one dark vein on it. "I've been seeing her," he said as Kuu picked up his hand and wondered if there was a way of treating it. "Dad, I know that you asked me not to and I'm really sorry but I needed to see her. I love her."

Kuu nodded, "I know," he said before looking out at the yard, "I was never expecting you not to see her but I wanted to ask you not to so that you would protect yourself, so that you would be on guard. When you held her during the time her powers first -"

"I didn't know what it was that was happening," Kuon said as he turned to his father and smiled weakly. "My body just moved on its own. I wanted to protect her. Now that I've trained and have more knowledge of what's going on, I'll be able to protect myself more."

Kuu nodded slowly before wrapping his arms around his son, "Please tell me if something happens or you don't feel well. You know that I'm connected to you, if you get hurt very badly then they told you that I'm the only one who can help you in that situation."

"I know," Kuon nodded before smiling again. "I know that I've told you this, but the elemental masters were stunned when I picked my father instead of any romantic lover. They told me it was a smart decision but I had to be sure. After what happened in America, after you came to Japan and I knew how much you still loved me despite that…I'm glad that I made the right choice."

Kuu closed his eyes and grinned, "You did. I will _never_ stop loving you," he told him before looking at his hand. "That's why I want to stress so much why it's so important that you take care of yourself."

The younger man smiled and stood up from the bench as he walked along, he placed his hand on a bush and made some out of season flowers bloom. Kuu looked at him and then looked a little guilty.

"Kuon, when you are in your other form, do you need me to get you anything?" he asked, "You can't talk to me during it so I'm not sure if there's anything that I should be doing. Should I treat you like a horse?" he asked and Kuon looked up.

"I'm actually conscious in that form but warm blankets and then nutritionally, yes, I have to eat what horses typically eat but other than that it's fine," he told Kuu who nodded.

"I knew you would see her," the senior actor told him, "but I want you to be careful. I want you to keep note of your own body and protect yourself. Kyoko always has a way of returning one time, you don't."

Kuon nodded, "I'm going to go back to her," he told his father who nodded.

"Make sure they don't see you," he said as he saw his son transform and then fly up into the air. No matter what happened, Kuu was unwavering in his decision to keep his son safe. He just hoped that Kuon would continually to let him in. He would even give his own life for his son if it ever came to that.

…..

…..

Hearing a flutter of wings, Kyoko smiled from where she stood at the stove cooking for the two of them. She had woken up happier this morning despite being outside. Kuon's wing had acted like a nice feather blanket for her and she felt protected by him. That was why she wanted to channel the energy and happiness that she felt into making him a good meal.

Kyoko smiled as she looked down at the eggs in the pan, she had also put in some sausages and bacon to make this an American breakfast since he had grown up in America. She had so many questions to ask him and she was nervous to his emotions during the answers. Technically, she had ended his life.

As she heard the door open, she looked at him to see pain on his face. "Are you okay?" she asked as she turned down the stove's temperature. She saw Kuon look at her and nod.

"We should probably start training this morning before the weather changes," he said before walking over to the stove, "That looks good. I should have cooked with those ingredients myself," he said. He knew that he had stored away different food. It was better than eating carrots and apples all day.

"Kuon," Kyoko said and saw him nod as he seemed to stare into space, "Are there any foods which you're not…which you don't want to eat?" she asked knowing that he always had a problem with food anyway. She didn't want to cause him to eat something which would be bad for him.

Kuon sighed before going to the drawer in the kitchen and pulling out a laminated card. "My dad is the one who laminated this for me," he told her, "He has one himself but he…I think he's worn out, he just tries to avoid these foods."

Kyoko looked through the list and nodded, "You're not allowed to eat potatoes?" she asked him and Kuon frowned before staring down.

"It depends. I am and I'm not. It depends on my energy level and that's only something that I know. When I'm my animal form, I tend to act like my animal and my digestion is different. You're not supposed to give potatoes to horses because it acts against their stomach but if I don't need to go into that form I can eat them," he tried to tell her and Kyoko nodded.

"I'll try to ask you before preparing food," she said before looking at him curiously. "Can you tell me what dea-"

"Let's change the subject," Kuon said bluntly as he turned the heat off on the stove noticing that the meal was just about finished. "I don't like to discuss what the elemental plain is like. I hope that you don't experience that just yet."

"So you're saying that I –" Kyoko said as she turned to him and Kuon looked at the table to avoid making eye contact with her.

"You will have to go there when you die but it's not that bad. Anyone who has an elemental energy inside of them has to go there because we have powers that others don't. I'm hoping that we can get your powers under control before you get corrupted by them," he told her and Kyoko looked at the floor.

"You're saying that you want me to get my powers under control so that I don't kill anybody, right?" she asked and Kuon sighed.

"Kill, hurt, mutilate," he said before sighing and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Kyoko, I'm not trying to say that you would _ever_ do any of those things on purpose but if you don't understand your own power then you could really cause some serious damage. If you hurt me then I might be able to take it but as for a normal person, they most likely can't."

"Did you see your father this morning?" the young woman asked him, "Is that where you -"

"Yes." Kuon smiled as he looked down thinking about how accepting his dad was of his situation, "Yes, I met with him. He already knew that I had come to see you and that I was training you but he warned me to be careful. My father knows me too well and -" the former actor looked at his disciple, "Listen, I know that you love my dad but he doesn't want to see you until he gets his feelings figured out. I know that that must be painful to hear."

"But he cares about you so much," Kyoko said as she gave an accepting inhale, "That's alright, Kuon. At least he knows that you're here and at least you're here by my side. I can't thank you enough for risking your life for me not just once but twice. Thank you."

"Well, call me an idiot, but I really do love you even if our elements are conflicting," Kuon said as Kyoko looked over at him.

"Are you saying that I'll always carry around dark energy?" Kyoko asked and Kuon reached out for her hand. Kyoko felt a little jolt in her hand but it then felt like a comfortable breeze was wrapping her up in a warm blanket.

"I'm trying to convert you," Kuon winked and Kyoko knew he was serious. "I'm thinking that if you learn to harness the energy, you can purify yourself and we can be of the same element."

"That of the light?" Kyoko asked as Kuon nodded. "I want to join you in the light, Kuon. So badly."

…..

…..

 _Kuon looked up around him from where his body lay on what felt like grass. He put a hand down to note that it was actually water, very clear water that he was resting atop of. He looked at the world around him and blinked hard. Was he experiencing blurry vision or was he somehow having a drug trip. All he could see were blurred colors and that the clouds seemed to be moving. It was as if he were in a light fog as well but nobody was around him._

 _He stood up, expecting to step into the water but instead he just stood on top of it. He looked around and didn't find anyone there, it was just the ocean, an endless ocean of which he could walk on. He looked down at his hands, they were glowing, in fact his whole body was glowing._

 _Was this the afterlife because it felt more like a video game, one of those Final Fantasy video games._

 _As he walked over the water, he managed to see a well of the type that one would find at a shrine._

 _If he could get there then maybe he could figure out where he was. Had he been brought to heaven? Had he done enough to repent for his crimes and make it to heaven. If this was limbo then was there a chance to get back to earth. It was the scariest thing to accept death as the final reality. He pinched himself hard. It hurt but the world around him didn't change._

 _There was bright light of all different colors around him._

 _As Kuon finally got to the well, he touched the brick and saw it turn silver under his touch so pulled back. He closed his eyes as he tried to imagine a brown color for the brick to change and opened his eyes to see that it had turned a shiny rose gold._

 _He looked at his hands. What was happening to him? Where was he?_

 **End of Chapter Six**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you, reviewers of Chapter Five**

Guest, Erza, ktoll9, paulagato


	7. Chapter 7 - Light as an Arrow

**AN:** Thank you for your patience and I really hope you enjoy

 **Chapter Seven – Light as an Arrow**

Kyoko smiled at the man she loves as he demonstrated his use of the sword, she had known him to be athletic and more capable than other men but the fact that he had trained definitely paid off. She saw the sack that they were practicing on burst into sixteen equal fragments and fall onto the ground as he stood back and took some deep breaths, his face covered by the mask.

"That was great," Kyoko told him before remembering how he had asked her to act as a student. "Icarus," she nodded to herself as he turned to her, "That was very impressive but I do have a question."

"Okay, what's your question?" Icarus asked in a formal and slightly emotionless way.

"If you're from the light side then how can you destroy things?" she asked and Icarus sighed. "I mean shouldn't you be a healer and -"

"You can heal if you're dark energy too," he told her, "The real meaning of the light and dark energy is the intentions and the motivations that you have, the feelings inside. I don't blame you for harvesting this dark energy, with your background it does make sense but if you give into joy and excitement and love then I think we can convert your energy into a light energy."

"I just have to control my anger?" Kyoko attempted to confirm and Icarus nodded.

"If you do that then I have hope that you'll be able to change the range of your powers. I have to tell you though, I am not going to let you practice fighting against me until I know that you are in control. If you did send dark energy to me that I couldn't deflect, I might pass without the chance of coming back," he told her thinking about what his father said.

With deep breaths, Icarus managed to hang another bag with just a couple of waves of his hand. "I think it's your turn," he said before looking at the bow and arrow beside her, "I'm asking you for one center arrow. Once we have that task down we can take a break."

Kyoko nodded as she stepped forward. She was happy that he was sacrificing so much for her and she understood why he wanted to still keep his face hidden. Having "Icarus" teach her these things rather than continuing to see Kuon or think of him as Tsuruga-san, kept her focused. She didn't want to allow the distraction of him being by her side to mean harming him.

Kyoko shot a few arrows, most of them hitting the bag but not in the center just yet.

"Visualize where you want it to go," he advised her, "When you are a normal person, you can't control the energy inside your body, you have energy to use but no distinct level. You want to bring any energy inside you to the center of your body and visualize where you want the arrow to go," he said in his training manner.

Kyoko took a few deep breaths before shooting the arrow, she froze as it hit the middle of the bag but her eyes weren't caught on that. All of the arrows that she shot before had been black with a dark purple glow to them, this arrow was golden and had a silver sparkle around it. She froze. Was that good?

Her heart stopped as Icarus removed his mask and she saw Kuon's surprised face. She smiled to him before blushing. Was he impressed by her skill already? If this is how he looked when he was impressed then she wanted to continue doing it. "That was okay, wasn't it?" she asked and Kuon reached out to touch the arrow. He pulled it out of the sack before smiling as he removed one of the gloves that he was wearing.

"More than okay," he said as he let his finger go over the arrow. He turned to her and smiled as she watched him cautiously. He had already told her that touching the dark arrows gave him a slight pain without the gloves on but he was holding this one as if it wasn't painful at all.

"Do you know how you created this?" he asked her with his smile which always took her breath away.

"No, I'm…I'm still learning from my sensei," Kyoko replied as Kuon laughed.

"This arrow is one from the light," he said, "Which means that your light might soon overtake your darkness. I knew that you were a quick learner but I didn't realize that you could train your body so quickly. What thoughts were in your mind when you shot this?" he asked.

Kyoko looked down with a slight blush before looking at him again, "I was feeling happy that you were here with me. I wanted to make you proud of being my teacher," she said before putting a hand to her heart. "I wanted to show you that I appreciate you, that I love you," she said as Kuon's expression softened at that.

"Then how about we keep training?" he asked, "We need to build up those emotions. I'm so happy that I came back for you and so relieved this is working. Thank you."

Kyoko froze before smiling, "I should be the one thanking you for everything. I don't know if anybody else would make the same sacrifices for me. If I can continue to make you happy and continue to be by your side, whether as Kuon or Icarus, then I don't want anything else. I just want you."

…..

…..

 _Kuon was well-schooled. Maybe people cared more about his acting ability and his being able to get into different characters more than they cared about the fact that he was in fact very intelligent. He hadn't followed a faith himself but this trek above water felt so much like Moses in the desert and he was wanting to give up._

 _Was this purgatory?_

 _That made more sense than anything else. An endless wandering as he was caught between heaven and hell. His earlier actions as the American teenager would most likely have put him below if there was such a place but maybe he had made up for it._

 _He took another deep breath. There were things that he could do alone, he had often spent time alone and especially these past years as Ren when he didn't want anybody to get too close to him._

 _His eyes snapped open as he saw a woman before him with the same confusion in her eyes and he ran towards her. Yes, this wasn't Mogami-san, but if Kyoko were in a place like this he would definitely be worried about it. "Hi," he said as he stood behind her and caught her looking at him._

" _Great, another person and it turns out to be a fricken celebrity," she said as Kuon shifted uncomfortably. He wished that she wouldn't just see it as that. Right now there shouldn't be a divide between them since they were both people who were in this strange place. He sighed before holding out his hand._

" _I'm sorry, I hope we can work as equals," he said to her with a weak smile and she glared at him._

" _Well, whilst we're here I guess we have to be," she said. "Don't slow me down," she said as she continued walking and Kuon sighed before bowing his head._

" _Do we even know where we're going?" he asked her and the woman glared at him._

" _Are all celebrities idiots?" she asked as Kuon sighed. Hopefully finding another person here wouldn't make things more difficult._

…..

…..

As Kuon stared off into the shrine without his mask or training gear on, he lost track of what was going on around him. That was until a cup of black coffee was passed to him.

"Here," Kyoko said as she caught his surprised smile, "I know you take it black and you look so exhausted, please drink it," she whispered as he smiled to her before taking the mug. "Was it something that you can share?" Kyoko asked as she sat down beside him.

"Kyoko," Kuon whispered, he opened his mouth wondering whether to talk about his death or not, he chickened out of it. "How do you feel about the training that I'm having you do? Is it too hard or are we okay."

"It feels good, I mean really good that you've decided to help me," Kyoko smiled at him. "I trust you completely. I know that you're keeping an eye out for me and that if it was too hard or if you thought I was hurting, you'd help me. I don't think the training is the reason you're out here but…" she looked down, "if you want to keep that -"

"Death." Kuon said as he took a sip from the coffee finding it refreshing, "I was thinking about what I went through after my death. It wasn't a good time for me."

"Kuon, I really am sorry about that," Kyoko said before falling into a dogeza with tears in her eyes. That was the worst thing that she had ever done to him. The fact that he was Corn made it even worse. He had risked his life and lost his life to help her and after two years he probably wasn't just feeling as fine as he was telling her.

"Please don't blame yourself," the former-actor said to her although they both knew that his wanting to help her was the cause of his death. He ran a hand through his blond hair and smiled, "I was really impressed by you today," he said changing the subject, "How you concentrated and made those shining arrows. You've always been a very fast learner."

"You've always been the most amazing teacher," Kyoko grinned to him. She studied his face, he really didn't look okay. She bowed her head as she tried to think of how to help him in the same way as he had always brought her confidence and made her feel safe and protected. "Kuon, did you want to talk about what happens after death? I'm willing to just listen if you want me to. If you need to vent then I'm here no matter what you want to say about the experience or the….cause of the experience."

Kuon frowned, "I don't think I'm able to yet," he told her. "Did you want to continue the training or did you want to end it for today?" he asked and Kyoko looked at him. She didn't know what to say, she didn't know what the right choice was.

"Are you really okay?" she asked with a tilt of her head. "Kuon, you can tell me anything. I can handle it. I love you," she blushed as she saw some happiness in his eyes because of that.

"How about we try some meditation?" he asked her and Kyoko nodded. "That's been one of the things that has calmed me down through all of this. I'm sure you'll be good at that as well."

"Then let's do that," Kyoko said with a smile as she watched him drink the last sip of the small cup of coffee and stand up, cleaning up the cup with another wave of his hand. She wanted to do something to prove to him how deep her love was for him and how much she accepted him as he was. Maybe he didn't think that he was her prince Corn anymore, but she would always see him as a prince no matter what name he used. She had never believed that she could love anybody as much.

 **End of Chapter Seven**

 **Thank you so much for reading**

 **Thank you, reviewers of Chapter Six**

Erza, ktoll9, PaulaGaTo


	8. Chapter 8 - Split Identity

**AN:** Thank you for your patience in the update of the fic, I honestly didn't know where to go with it so I hope that you like this chapter. It's a little shorter than I aim for just because it had been a long time since I had worked on it, but I really hope that you enjoy it.

 **Chapter Eight – Split Identity**

Kuon sighed as he kept his eyes closed, as much as he wanted to return to his old life it was such a shallow realization that this world wasn't the confusing mess he had once seen it as, nor was it a place where he could achieve things outside of his grasp. He sighed and counted his breathing as he meditated. He just had to save her from the darkness of her heart, try to contain that darkness before it became a threat.

And he wanted to stop worrying his father. He knew that Kuu would die before giving him up but that didn't mean that Kuon couldn't be concerned about what was going on for him. He bowed his head and sighed heavily. If someone did want to get to Kuu then he was an easier target.

He heard footsteps and closed his eyes again wanting to figure out his place in the world now, now that he no longer saw it the same as it once was. Did he want to be Kuon any longer? Well, he still loved his family and Kyoko, he still wanted a future with Kyoko, his past was important to him but that didn't mean that it was his future.

What was the problem with him being Icarus anyway? It was a name that he had chosen himself because of the Greek myth and his father wouldn't care about him wanting to be called that. The name Kuon _was_ important but it belonged to a dead man, a previous life. With his entire body now, he felt like Icarus.

"Corn?" Kyoko asked as she crouched down beside him and still Icarus kept his eyes closed, steadying his breathing. "I'm sorry to interrupt you."

"Five more minutes," he requested and Kyoko nodded with a soft hum.

"If I'm silent, do you mind if I sit next to you?" she asked and Icarus nodded. That was what he wanted to call himself after going through what he had. He knew that Neptune's main concern was valid, him getting too close to someone who had little control over their dark magic. The dark magic users were responsible for some of the most devastating crimes in history even if that magic had been undetected but Kyoko was different. Kyoko could be converted like few before her had. Icarus, Kuon, just needed to continue his belief in her and realize what he had come back to do.

He had to maintain his focus.

It was just like an acting job, right? Every character had a motivation and something that they wanted to accomplish and until he was done with his task it made more sense for him to be Icarus. He paused before smiling to himself, yes, it wasn't like he was treating this like a game, he was treating this as a lesson in acting towards a goal. He smiled before finally opening his eyes and turned to her.

"Hi," he smiled before smiling as he saw her grin.

"Good morning, Kuon," Kyoko greeted him and he paused before looking ahead. Kyoko frowned as she saw the seriousness of his nature, she looked down. Maybe he didn't want her here. Maybe he needed a bit of time alone even if as a Pegasus. She wouldn't blame him. After all that he had been through, she couldn't really hold much against him.

"I've decided not to use that name," he said, looking at her with his emerald eyes. Kyoko paused before nodding slowly. "I feel that that belongs to my old life. I think that to move forward in the future and to help you, that life has to become a memory."

"You mean that you don't want us to be together," Kyoko said slowly and the blond shook his head.

"I'm not saying that at all," he told her before standing up and moving in front of her. "Do you know that famous Shakespeare quote, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet?" he asked and Kyoko nodded, her eyes not leaving his. "I think that it's something like that," he admitted. Kyoko opened her mouth to speak but he shook his head, "Icarus. I think I want to be called Icarus, it feels better than Ren or Kuon."

"I can call you Icarus," Kyoko smiled as she looked at him, her heart beating painfully in her chest. "Yes, of course I can. If you want your name to be Corn or Kuon or Ren or anything else, then I will call you whatever you want as long as it isn't Shotaro," she joked and Icarus smiled. Kyoko watched him, "I mean, if you really did want that as your name then it would be tough to say that to you but I could do it," she said with a smile and Icarus crouched in front of her.

"Look," he said, reaching out for her hands which she willingly let him hold. "I don't want for anything to come between us or for you to feel that you can't trust me. You've made so much progress already but you need to be sure of what you want."

"And what I want is to be with you," Kyoko replied, "To join you in the light."

"And even if that is what you want," Icarus said slowly, "You have to keep remembering that. The darkness is full of deception and empty promises, remember that well they are only empty promises. The darkness will try to manipulate your mind so I have to ask that you remember who I am and that I love you and that even if you don't trust in anything else, that you'll trust in me."

"Why wouldn't I -" Kyoko began but then saw the intensity in the man's eyes, "Yes. Yes, I promise you that I'll trust in you," she said before seeing Kuon smile in relief. She reached out to touch his face and Icarus felt a warmth through his body, her light energy was getting stronger.

Icarus knew they would make this. He took her hand and then kissed it.

"Pandora," Kyoko whispered, "I don't know if I'm ready to change my name but Pandora…that's the name that I'd like if I change it," she whispered and Icarus reached a hand out to caress her cheek before kissing her powerfully and affectionately.

…..

…

" _You're pretty slow, I thought you'd actually learn how to fight with weapons faster," Neptune smiled as she juggled her sai swords. "Look, this isn't even my weapon of choice," she said with a raised eyebrow and Icarus watched her, his look deepening in a scary way. "Wow, even you light users can look coldhearted."_

" _Light user? Wait, maybe my fricken weapon can be a flashlight," Icarus said with a roll of his eyes. He didn't know why he couldn't get his energy to connect with a weapon. Everything in his life he had done without fail. Now their trainer was letting Neptune play with water whilst he spent days in silent meditation._

 _Maybe with a weapon he'd be stronger, he'd be able to fix things again._

 _Neptune closed her eyes and the two sais burst into a spray of water which she purposely directed towards Kuon. "So, whose your lifeline?" she asked and Icarus rolled his eyes again. "Is it that girl? The one who killed you?"_

" _Leave her alone," Icarus whispered, "It's my father, well they say it's my father. I just hope that he trusts in this, he's an actor but things like this, the girl who killed me would believe more in the afterlife being a reality, in things like this happening. My dad has a strong work ethic but he's a grounded guy whose pretty logical. I don't know if he could accept."_

" _And now you have the sob story again," Neptune commented before dropping into a respectful bow to the master who had just entered their training ground. Icarus stood, joining the woman in her deep bow and then the leader turned to Kuon._

" _We need to make the initial connection," he said to him and Icarus paused nervously._

" _Initial connection?" he asked and the master bowed his head._

" _To Kuu Hizuri," he said as Kuon finally felt more like himself again and a grin covered his face. He was really dying to talk to his father, well hopefully the dying part would reverse after the conversation._

…

…

"Hey," Kuu said as he heard a flutter of wings outside of the house in Los Angeles. He knew what that flutter meant, it meant that his son was okay and that he was coming home. Kuu took a step back as he saw that the Pegasus had landed among the trees. "Welcome home, kiddo," he said and Kuon bowed his head as he stood in front of Kuu. "Something wrong?" he asked as he placed a hand on the top of his head, "You've had such a long flight," he tried to laugh.

Kuon looked down and closed his eyes before falling onto the ground in his human form, he had cuts all over him and Kuu's eyes widened. He put a hand to the top of his arm.

"Are you okay?" he asked sadly, truly worried about his little boy. "Is she doing this to you?"

"Like I said, I've had a long flight," Kuon said as he looked at him, "I've told her to call me Icarus," he explained to Kuu and Kuu got down onto the ground next to Kuon so he could take care of him.

"You know that's the name you first had when you were…well, when you were in the other place," Kuu said sadly. He put his hands on Kuon's shoulders, terrified of what his son was going through. "Are you okay?" he asked and Kuon nodded. "Is it…Icarus for me as well?"

"Dad, for you it's just Kuon, okay?" he smiled weakly feeling a little like he was betraying Kyoko. He knew that Kyoko might want to call him his birth name but somehow it wasn't the same with her. He didn't think he held any ill will toward her but his father was the reason that he could come back. His dad cared for him and he was his connection in this world and as long as that love existed then Kuon could exist.

"You're not looking too good, you should get back to your other form, okay?" Kuu asked as he started to rub Kuon's back and then smiled in relief as he saw the winged horse appear and put his head on the ground. Kuon still stared up at Kuu with those big trusting eyes. Kuu smiled before running his hand through Kuon's thick mane.

"To think that I might have never seen you again," he said as Kuon continued to watch him. "Stay here tomorrow, okay? We have these huge gates and now there's a reason for them. A reason to stay hidden," he saw Kuon nod and laughed weakly. "I'm going to get you some food and a blanket, you just stay here," he said before standing up. He smiled to Kuon again. "I really love you, son," he said before quickly departing for the house.

 **End of Chapter Eight**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you to reviewers of Chapter Seven**

Erza, Guest, paulagato

 **Response to Reviews**

Well people react strangely after death and the story is that Kuon did go to the place between death and life but chose to come back for Kyoko but he was still in the non-dead place for much longer than he had been dead to the living.


	9. Chapter 9 - Dedalus

**AN:** Thank you for your patience in the update of this fic 😊

 **Chapter Nine – Dedalus**

Icarus had to admit it, Kyoko was extremely skilled using a sword and although he'd prefer for her to have the weapon choice of a bow and arrow maybe close combat was better for her. However, close combat with one's so-called enemies often brought out a lot of the darkness that he was hoping that she'd avoid. He put a protective barrier around himself as they stood at the shrine and looked at her.

"Being part of the light," he tried to inform her, "Is more than just believing that you are fighting for good. It's in embracing the good. Trying to get rid of all other elements and just knowing that you are pursuing the worthy cause of action."

Kyoko smiled at him before putting down the sword, "Then why fight at all?" she challenged him and Icarus bowed his head. He waved his hand and pulled the sword towards him, holding it in his hand as he studied it.

"Your black magic level has greatly decreased, I believe that the training is having a good effect on your energy," he told her and Kyoko smiled before tilting her head to the side.

"Is there an answer to that question?" she asked him and Icarus shook his head.

"Not a good one. We fight because _they_ fight. Were the dark souls in this world to throw down their swords and weapons we could work on the rebuilding of this planet, of this realm, however if they have the intention to fight then we must work it so that we protect the good of this land," he told her and Kyoko moved forward to him.

"You know, as much as you're good at being Icarus, sometimes I really miss Ren Tsuruga," she told him and Icarus turned his back on her.

"It's enough sparring for right now. I would suggest you to go back to your studies. The brain and the bearing of intelligence is much more powerful than any weapon," he told her and Kyoko nodded slowly. It seemed that she had said something that had annoyed him. She wasn't sure how she had done it but the effect was obvious.

"Kuo-" she began and his body stiffened, "Icarus," she continued and he looked away.

"Don't make me consider how foolish I might have been to return here," he said sharply making Kyoko take a few steps back due to the shock. "It is dangerous for the two of us to be together even now. You must remember that love is not enough to save a person," he told her and Kyoko froze. They really did love one another, right? He wasn't going to tell her that it was just a joke and he was just teaching her as a mentor with no other cares.

She sighed, "I won't. I'll go and study," she said before hearing footsteps. She saw Icarus flash in front of her, stretching his arm out as if to protect her but as they both saw who their visitor was it didn't seem that protection was necessary.

"Father," Icarus bowed as he placed the sword in the ground and Kuu looked between the two of them. He had a soft and loving expression as he gazed at Kuon but his expression hardened as he turned towards Kyoko.

"I told you," Kuu laughed as he pulled back the hood that Kuon was wearing and brought his son into a loving embrace. "You don't have to treat me with such formality," he flicked Kuon's forehead teasingly before looking his son over. "You're quite a survivor," he joked and Kuon nodded. "Sword training today?" he asked and Kuon looked over at Kyoko.

"We were attempting to bring forth the light energy. I believe that Kyoko has nearly come to stage two of the drawing forth of that energy in combatting the dark energy. I was about to prepare something to eat, did you want to join us?" he asked and Kuu put a hand to his son's cheek.

"You really have changed a lot," he commented before nodding, "Yes. You go and make us something to eat, I'm going to just have a few words with Kyoko, if that's okay? I love you, son."

"I love you too, Dad," Kuon said as he went towards the dining area.

As soon as he left, Kyoko found Kuu to glare at her in a hardened way that she had only seen him do on their first meeting, in fact this was maybe ten times as powerful as that. It made her feel frightened with the looming threat that she was facing and she steadied her breathing.

"Fa-" she began but Kuu held a hand up.

"I am not your father," he said and Kyoko took a sudden step back as if she had been given a fatal wound and the blood was gushing from her wounded body. "I no longer wish to involve myself with you any longer," he told her and Kyoko's eyes widened in shock. What had happened here? She had never expected for Kuu to give her this kind of reaction.

"Is it something that -" Kyoko began but Kuu cut her off.

"Kuon is risking his life in taking care of you but I know how much it means to him so I won't ask him to stop doing so," he commented and Kyoko nodded not sure how else to react. "However, I don't agree with him about the risks he's taking being worth it. A lot of people aren't going to agree with my motives, if they saw me they might even comment on my being out of character, but deep down the truth is that I love my son, he is able to return to this world because of that love. You are the one who killed him."

"Kuu-sama," Kyoko said as she dropped down into a bow, "I truly apologize for that, it was an accident, I never meant to hurt him. I truly do love him with my whole heart. I care deeply for him no matter what name he goes by."

Kuu frowned as he turned away, "Accident or not, to be around you, Kuon is facing great risk to his body. Every time you release the dark energy, it gives him a wound and though he may try to hide it from you, I can feel the pain that he goes through. There is a saying in this world that love is pain and to Kuon it is. I don't want you to be near him but he will follow you if you leave."

Kyoko looked at him, this was a new side of Kuu that she definitely wasn't used to seeing. She kept her head bowed but took a step forward, "You once said that you were my father," she reminded him and Kuu gave a short and bitter laugh.

"That was before you were responsible for my son's death," he told her and Kyoko pulled back. It was true, as accidental as it had been, she had killed Kuon and she could never turn back time and make it so that that never happened.

…

…

" _You know, Icarus" Neptune said as she looked at him in something that was kindness but the type of affection that he wasn't expecting from her. She rolled her eyes as she saw the way he stared at her confused. "Okay. I'll use that proper name you have for yourself," she told him before sitting next to him. "You don't have to return to the human world."_

" _I am still in love with someone there, someone who needs my help," he told her and Neptune sighed before dropping her head._

" _Fine," she sighed. "You know, teacher says that you would be able to concentrate your powers more effectively and efficiently were you to think of something other than one person. You were an actor in your formal life, you must know how your actions can change an entire group of people."_

" _Great, maybe I can demonstrate some of my skills and act in a circus," Kuon joked before watching her. He knew that she had a difficult past and that was something that they had in common but Neptune seemed to be able to separate her life before and after death more than he could. She seemed to be able to start a new life for herself whilst he was trapped in his old life as Kuon._

" _That's the spirit," Neptune joked and Kuon looked at her, watching her with interest._

" _You do know that you're more powerful than I am," he told her and Neptune shrugged._

" _Yeah," she nodded, "That's because I know that the past doesn't define me. I would gladly move forward in my life with no connection to my past. It would be a total makeover, a redo, plus I'd be a kickass female heroine with super powers I mean, it can't get better than that. You must look up to someone, a hero of your own."_

" _My father," Kuon admitted honestly. "My dad is a great guy, he's always been my hero and someone I respect. By forgetting about my own life and cutting ties, not only do I cut the ties that I have with Kyoko but with my parents as well. I owe my family more than that."_

" _Do you think that they'd accept the way you are now? Someone that others might want to experiment on or classify a freak?"_

 _Kuon chuckled, "My dad would never do that. If I were born with these powers, he'd never have called me a freak or cut me off from the world. That's what I want to focus on, the way my parents have always supported me. If it wasn't for them I wouldn't be who I am today."_

" _And that's what the name is about?" Neptune asked._

" _My father is the hero in the story who fashions the wings needed to fly. Deadalus prepares Icarus with what he needs to be able to escape, he provides for his son but it's Icarus who is unable to understand mortality and flies too close to the sun destroying the wings. Icarus is a name that honors my father."_

 _Neptune rolled her eyes, "Suit yourself," she said before starting to practice her water abilities once again._

…..

…

Icarus was meditating in lotus position as Kyoko came back into the kitchen. She saw him there and decided to watch him for a little bit before the conversation with Kuu reentered her mind. Her father had told her that he wanted to sever their relationship because of the physical damage it was doing to Kuon. She had a bad feeling about the question that she was about to ask him, part of her wishing that she didn't have the guts to do so.

"Icarus?" she asked and he hummed, "That name. It means that you choose Kuu-sama, doesn't it?" she said nervously and Icarus looked at her.

"I do not have to answer that," he told her and Kyoko sighed. She sat down opposite him and saw how peaceful he was, this was the enlightenment that she wanted to achieve. "It's not a competition. Life doesn't always have contests and clear winners and losers."

"I know that," Kyoko said gently. "Trust me, I know that, but he would be the winner wouldn't he?" she asked and Icarus nodded without saying anything to her. Kyoko sighed. Hopefully Kuu wouldn't take advantage of this trust that his son had in him, Kuu had the power to ruin whatever chances she had but he wouldn't be cruel or unkind, would he?

 **End of Chapter Nine**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to** PaulaGato **for reviewing Chapter Eight**


	10. Chapter 10 - Damien's Darkness

**Chapter Ten – Damien's Darkness**

Kyoko couldn't sleep. One would have thought that she would have become used to parents not wanting her to be their child but the sting of Kuu's rejection still hurt her. Maybe there was some way to get back on his good side, have him want her to be his child again. She could only hope. She took a deep breath in as she tried to relax, tried to think about how good it would be in the light.

As she tried to sleep though, she smelled something. Burning. Something was burning. She sat up quickly. There couldn't be someone with fire magic with a vendetta against Kuo-Icarus, could there? She didn't feel hot but that might be because the smoke had spread farther than the fire. She pulled herself out of bed and grabbed a robe before walking out of the bedroom.

She went to the small outdoor shrine area and it terrified her. There was a black horse there but around her it was darker than it had been previous nights and there were small flashes of color but only for a moment as if she were in some kind of enchanted land. She looked at the horse. She had read about the four horsemen of the apocalypse and this horse made her think of what they would be riding. She felt nervous but there was also a thrill of excitement in her body.

She didn't know what was going on but before she could figure it out, the horse had turned into an attractive man who looked similar to Cain Heel but as if you stripped away all the parts of Kuon that were included there. She took a nervous breath as she felt something draw her towards this man.

"You're Kyoko, aren't you?" he grinned as he approached her. "Might I introduce myself," he said as he held his hand out, "Damien Lexington," he said with a foreign touch to the Japanese accent he had. He raised an eyebrow as he stared at her. "You know," he licked his lip, "You are absolutely gorgeous," he winked and touched her. There was a sort of magic in his touch as if he were charging her and Kyoko felt her mind getting fuzzy.

What was she doing out here? Had she woken up? Was this a dream?

She heard a voice from behind her that brought her back to the present moment. She turned back to see Icarus there wearing what might be considered a traditional martial arts outfit. She looked at him and saw that he was holding a sword with a knife in his belt. "Ku—Icarus?" she asked as she turned to him and saw Damien approach her again. Before he could touch her, Icarus had him a few feet back and Kyoko could feel a refreshing white wind surround her.

"You are _not_ to touch her!" Icarus yelled as he took his sword out and landed a few blows but Damien had summoned a dragon out of thin air and Icarus had to pay his attention to that. It didn't seem possible but Kyoko could have sworn that it appeared out of thin air as if he had sculpted it from the darkness around him.

She looked between the two of them but her eyes focused on the white aura around Kuon and the dark aura around Damien. Damien seemed to be using the shadows to fight, pulling each with his hand and forming it into something else whilst Kuon had his eyes closed, managing to use the white wind to beat back the shadows. Before Kyoko had a grasp on what was happening, the two were using their fists to fight one another and she saw sparks as if something had touched an electrical outlet.

Another few moments happened and then the fight ended and Icarus had the sword on Damien's throat. Damien started laughing and Kuon closed his eyes trying to force the demon away. Kyoko could see that Damien was putting some kind of poison into the sword and he started to disappear, fading slowly with the black aura coating Kuon who was pulled down to his knees and was starting to choke.

Kyoko ran over to him, seeing him with his hands flat on the stone tiles. Something was wrong! She could see blood from his face and a heavy cut. She needed medicine or something, she needed to help him heal. She wasn't sure of what she had seen but this wasn't what she had thought would happen when seeing a battle. She saw Kuon finally get control of himself and she saw him choke up what looked like a gremlin and then strike it down with his sword.

She made her way over to him quickly, "Icarus?" she asked nervously and saw him nod. "Are you okay? What can I do? What can I ge-"

"Rest," he said staring down at the ground before closing his eyes and his body slumped onto the stones. He smiled up at her and Kyoko wondered whether she should get a stretcher and try to move his body. She wasn't sure what had happened. It had happened so quickly as well.

"Water?" Kyoko asked nervously and Icarus nodded. Kyoko had to bit her tongue to stop herself from calling him Corn or Kuon. She wanted him to know that she loved him but he might push her away again and that was something that she feared.

Kyoko quickly made her way away from him though she hated having to do so. He needed water and at least she could do that for him. She kept glancing back to him as he struggled to maintain composure. She grabbed a bucket and filled it with water before grabbing a cup as well. She walked over and handed it to him. "Thank you," she whispered and he nodded, "I know that you saved me. I don't know much about magic but I know that you saved me."

"Was he attractive to you?" Icarus asked as he looked at her before drinking the water and Kyoko felt herself taken aback a little. She didn't know what to say. Was Kuon going to get jealous if she told him honestly that there was a part of her that was attracted to him…well before the fight had started and she had been drawn to Icarus.

"Are you asking because you're jealous?" she asked and Icarus looked at her.

"Partly," he admitted before looking down. "Were you more attracted to him than you are to me?" he said as he got some more water to drink and Kyoko stared at him. He seemed to be keeping his distance from her one moment and then the next he was asking her questions like this.

"No, I wasn't. You're the person that I want to be with," Kyoko said quickly. "It wasn't attraction like in a normal sense it was…"

'Then your heart still contains some negative energy inside but you are fighting to be with the light. I need you to think about that. Think about where the allegiance is," Icarus told her and Kyoko nodded.

"I want to join you in the light," she admitted honestly and Icarus smiled to her.

"Then we keep working at it," he said as Kyoko really wished that she could stop his pain. She wanted to grow into the light. She wanted to be with Corn.

….

…..

Julie woke up startled as she saw Kuu panting, sweat on his forehead and his eyes wide. "Kuu," she asked as she reached for his hand and found that his body had turned to ice. She pushed herself into a seated position and tried to calm him by placing her hand on his shoulder and back. "Darling, what is it? What happened?"

"I feel it," Kuu whispered as he turned to the window in a panic. "He's been hurt. He's alive but he's been hurt, so much dark magic," he whispered and Julie wrapped her arms around her husband. She kissed his cheek. If this was anyone else but Kuon making him feel this way, she would be a little angry at him for agreeing to share pain with another person but this had brought their son back.

"Do you want to go and check on him?" Julie asked and Kuu looked at her with his eyes still wide as if he had woken up and had a heart attack. He nodded slowly and Julie got out of bed before putting some of Kuu's clothes on the bed. She grabbed a comb and ran it through her own hair before tying it back in a messy ponytail.

"Jules?" Kuu asked as he watched her, "What are you doing? What are you thinking?"

"I'm _thinking_ that we should go and see our son," she told him and Kuu shook his head. "I demand to go with you," Julie said quickly knowing what he was thinking. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him. "My little boy has been hurt. I'm not a good mother if I don't go with you to check on him."

Kuu opened his mouth to argue but he couldn't, he nodded as he got out of bed.

"If there's any sign of danger though, you'll listen to me or we'll listen to Kuon if he's able to talk to us. Kuon wouldn't let anything dangerous happen to us so I want for you to listen to what he needs," Kuu stressed to her and Julie nodded.

Julie bowed her head and took a slow but deep inhale, "What about Kyoko?" she asked and Kuu looked away.

"Let's keep our focus on Kuon," Kuu told her and Julie nodded slowly. She felt bad for Kyoko, she hadn't meant for any of this to happen and if this had been Kuu she would be scared to be with him again but she would be fighting through that fear. Julie placed her hand on Kuu's shoulder and squeezed it to show her support. Maybe Julie would have to speak to Kyoko privately.

…..

…..

Once they arrived at the location, Kuu rushed in, his body telling him where Kuon was due to the pull that kept him alive but Julie didn't follow him. She trusted that Kuon would be okay with Kuu at his side and she was more curious about the companion that Kuon was trusting. She walked over to her and saw Kyoko tense before seeming to withdraw. Julie looked around and saw the girl sitting on the ground next to a fountain with tears streaming down her face.

Julie walked over to her, she knew that she looked less glamorous than usual but she was a worried mother, she was allowed to look in her forties sometimes. "Hello," she said with a smile as Kyoko looked up at her and shivered, "May I join you?" she asked and before Kyoko could say anything, Julie was sitting on the ground.

"How are you? I assume there must have been some frightening things and you really are only a young woman," she said and Kyoko looked to her before staring down. She wrapped her arms around herself even more.

"I never wanted for Kuon to get hurt," she told Julie who smiled at her in her beautiful way.

"I know that you didn't. Please don't let my husband's love for our son mislead you into thinking that we hate you or anything of that nature. It's just that the two of us really do care about Kuon," she told her and Kyoko sniffed not wanting to show her weakness.

"I would never have hurt him if I knew I could do that. I love him. I know that he's scared of me but…"

"I don't think he's scared of you," Julie told her, "but scared for you. He's trying to bring you back into the light so you can live a happy and beautiful life even if it isn't with him. He's putting himself at risk because he thinks you're worth it."

Kyoko looked at her and nodded, "You mean…"

"He's putting himself in danger because he feels the love he has for you is worth it. As much distance as both he and my husband are putting between you and them, please rely on the truth that Kuon loves you," Julie told her and Kyoko smiled hearing that. Those were the words that she had really needed to hear.

 **End of Chapter Ten**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Nine**

H-Nala, Kaname671, PaulaGaTo


	11. Chapter 11 - Purity

**Chapter Eleven - Purity**

Kyoko was having a hard time falling asleep. She kept thinking of how close she was to believing that guy who had put Kuon through so much pain. He wasn't attractive in a traditional sense but Kuon had explained it as her being attracted to the dark energy that he had swarming around him. She didn't know what it meant for people to have this dark energy. Other than her completely justified feelings of hate towards Shotaro, she had never been a negative person.

She heard the sound of a knock on the door and stood up quickly. She hoped that it wasn't any other strange man that she didn't know, she opened the door and smiled in relief as she saw Kuon standing there. He looked a little pale and was holding up a coat for her.

"How do you feel about taking a trip?" he asked her and Kyoko looked at him suspiciously. She nodded though, she would follow his ideas because she trusted that he knew what he was doing. He had died and had lived in that place between life and death for longer than he had been gone in the mortal world. He had trained in this and she wanted to place her faith in him.

"Where are we -" she began to say but Kuon turned back with a weak smile.

"I'm sorry that I've been so cold and unfair to you, Kyoko. I've felt like tough love was the way to do it and I had to create a distance between us so that I could effectively train you but I have another idea. You just have to trust me and whatever you do, do _not_ stray from my side, okay?" he asked her and Kyoko nodded. She knew that he would probably follow her even if she needed to use a restroom. He seemed that serious but that probably meant that there was hope or at least he believed there was hope.

"Icarus," she said and he turned to her with a smile.

"I'll let you call me by my mortal name if this works," he told her and Kyoko felt the excitement flow through her. She wanted to call him Kuon again. Even though she had known him longer as Ren, Kuon was the name that she wished to use. She wanted to know the real him and how _he_ had overcome the darkness in his own life.

"Hold on tight," he told her and she wrapped her arms around him, "Tighter, I have to take you somewhere," he told her and Kyoko nodded. She held onto him before feeling her body move away from everything. She closed her eyes wanting to experience this type of magic.

When Kyoko felt her feet touching the ground, she opened her eyes and then grabbed onto his arm. This was Corn's forest, this was where they had met when they were younger. She smiled happily as she looked around at this very comforting environment. She looked to the side and saw Kuon leaning against a tree and walked over to him. She nervously placed her hand on his back.

"I'm okay," he told her with slow breaths, "I'll be okay. Can you just wait for me to get my breath back and then we can go over to the lake," he told her and Kyoko nodded. She placed her hand on his back and tried to massage it and made an attempt for him to be able to breathe a little more. Had this spell taken so much out of him?

"We need to go to the lake," Kuon said as he finally caught his breath and took hold of her hand. "I read about this but you have to promise to listen to me, okay?" he asked and Kyoko nodded slowly. "Before we go, please don't feel too hurt by my having to ask this. I'm not trying to use it as a personal attack. Out of all the energy fields, is the light the one you wish to keep?" he asked her and Kyoko nodded.

"I want to bring light and happiness in this world, like a fairy princess," she said honestly and Kuon smiled towards her.

"Even though you will be attracted to men from the light energy," he asked her and Kyoko looked at him with a stubborn smile.

"If that means that I still get to be attracted to you, the man who came back for me, then most definitely," she whispered and Kuon kissed her forehead before taking her to the lake. He squeezed her hand and then walked over to the lake where they had stood years before. He kissed her hand before walking into the lake and she tried to follow him but he shook his head, stopping her.

"Sensei," he whispered as he seemed to cast a spell on the water, "Please come to me. I wish to help. Sensei," he seemed to beg and Kyoko stood still for a moment. Nothing was happening. Was Kuon wanting something to happen. If he didn't get out of the water soon then would he die from hypothermia. By the point that she was about to run after him, there was a shining light from the other side and Kuon stepped out of the water.

"Come in, my student," a voice said and Kyoko looked around but Kuon nodded and she did so. She felt waves come up to her and she took a shaky breath before seeing a shining silver wave that covered her but she didn't feel wet, it was as if she had fallen into a pile of fluffy pillows. She nervously tried to control her breaths before it turned dark and she felt herself falling.

…..

…..

Kyoko coughed as she opened her eyes to find herself lying on the bank of the lake with a white dress on. She hadn't been wearing that before. Kuon put a hand on her and she felt warm as he guided her back down so that her body was at rest. Kyoko coughed, "Did that really just happen?" she asked and Kuon gently let his hand rest on her cheek.

"I think so," Kuon said with a smile as he watched her. "I'm sorry. Are you hurt? Did you feel hurt?"

"Did I drown?" Kyoko asked knowing that when Kuon had come back here he had said that he had died and so was that the rule for establishing powers. Kuon shook his head and Kyoko reached out for him, she placed her hand over his and squeezed feeling as if their energy was joined.

"Am I part of the light?" she asked and Kuon nodded causing Kyoko to smile to him. "Does that mean that we get to be together?" she said excitedly and Kuon turned to her. He took a deep inhale before letting it go. He watched her with affection and a soft loving emotion in his eyes.

"If you find me worthy," he told her and Kyoko threw her arms around him, pressing her face into his chest. That was what she wanted, to be with her hero. He had come back to help her. People didn't usually come back to help her. Kyoko felt his hold as he pulled her closer to his chest and she sobbed softly.

"I love you," she told him hoping that this would be the beginning of the end of the difficulties between them. "I really do love you, Corn" she told him and he nodded, kissing the top of her head and she suddenly felt more power the closer she was to him. Kyoko stood up, trying to feel a little more stable and she took Kuon's hand.

"I think we need to rest," she told him and Kuon looked at her, watching her. "I know a place that we can go and don't worry about it, you will be allowed in there. You will be allowed to spend the night," she said and he shook his head.

"Kyoko, this took a lot out of me," he told her and she stared at him. She didn't know what to say but she did see him fading in his expression. He wasn't going to die, was he? She hadn't zapped that much energy from him. "I need to go into my other form," he told her and Kyoko nodded slowly.

"You mean your animal form?" she asked before he nodded and changed into the Pegasus. Kyoko saw him try to hide among the trees and then placed his head down. She came over to him and knelt in front of him despite the dirt and the mud. She put a hand on his long nose and closed her eyes. Did that mean that she had an animal form as well? Maybe a fairy? It would be a lot of fun to be a fairy. Still, she felt grateful that Kuon had had this idea. As he slept she saw a glowing stone next to him and picked it up. It felt warm in her hand. She would have to tell him about this but he looked too peaceful right now and she felt it best to just let him sleep.

…

…

Kuon woke up about two hours later. Although a good amount of rest was not going to be something that he would get that night, he was happy that he got to spend some time with Kyoko. She wasn't out of the darkness completely yet because even though she had taken in the light, she could be swayed to return to the darkness. He sighed as he looked around in his Pegasus form wanting to find her and his eyes widened as he saw a unicorn next to her.

She looked just like him. Was this really Kyoko? He looked at her with a smile, "Guess we were supposed to be together," he laughed and Kyoko raised her head, opening her eyes. She looked around. She felt strange. "You're in an animal form," he told her and Kyoko stretched her leg out, she blinked as she saw a hoof and laughed as she looked at him and let her head rest against his back.

"I guess that I'm a Pegasus too," she commented and Kuon shook his head.

"No, you're the most beautiful unicorn," he said and Kyoko smiled. She had sometimes wondered what it would be like to be a unicorn.

 **End of Chapter Eleven**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Ten**

Kaname671


	12. Chapter 12 - Back to Tokyo

**Chapter Twelve – Back to Tokyo**

Kyoko had to admit that Kuon's idea had worked on her. The darkness seemed trapped and bathed in a white light and she was finding it harder to latch onto those feelings of sadness and despair that she had often carried around with her. She wanted to make Kuon proud of her. She had spent the night as a unicorn, curled up next to her Pegasus and it had felt amazing to have Kuon so close to her. He would allow her to call him Kuon, right?

As she saw him with a blanket in his arms he laughed softly. "I thought that I'd bring this and you would stay sleeping," he told her and Kyoko reached a hand out for him.

"It's fine. I've had enough sleep….Kuon," she said slowly and nervously. Maybe all of this didn't really matter, maybe her coming over to the side of the light wasn't enough. He nodded and sat down beside her. "I can call you Kuon?" she asked to double check and Kuon nodded.

"Good," she sighed happily, "I mean, the name Icarus is nice but I've missed calling you Ren," she admitted and he turned to her. He opened his mouth as if to say something but then shook his head and dropped it.

"It doesn't matter," he stated and Kyoko tilted her head to the side.

"What doesn't matter?" she asked sounding a little confused. Was he going to tell her that she was wrong and that she wasn't allowed to call him Kuon and that they couldn't have a relationship. She had so much love in her heart for him that she wasn't afraid of admitting anymore. What could have gone wrong that didn't matter, that had lost its meaning?

"People don't see me as Kuon," he told her and Kyoko paused.

"I'm sure they…" she began but he shook his head.

"The fact that I died," he attempted to tell her before gesturing to his outward appearance. "It's not much but to anyone who isn't connected to the inner realm, I look different and they think of me differently. Ren Tsuruga and Kuon Hizuri have to be dead to protect people like us. People witnessed my death, it would scare people to know that I'm alive."

"And so…" Kyoko said slowly, "Is it the same with me?"

Kuon shook his head. The truth was that nobody had seen Kyoko get drowned enough to succumb to the white magic. She was able to roam around freely with a connection to her past. Since people had witnessed his death, witnessed Kyoko end his life then he couldn't just come back to life without causing public distress. "You're fine," he told her and Kyoko pulled her knees to her chest. "I was thinking that it's been a long time since you've seen Kotonami-san," he said and Kyoko hummed and nodded.

"It has been a long time," she agreed, "but it's okay. I can still feel Moko's love inside my heart despite how she tried to hide it. We'll be friends who don't see one another. It will be okay."

Kuon stared at her doubtfully, "Let's go into Tokyo today," he told her and Kyoko smiled without being able to stop herself. She wanted to be around other people and now that she had healing magic instead of destructive magic, it was finally time for her to return. She turned to look back at Kuon and saw him looking out onto the lake as if somewhat emotionless inside.

"I'd be fine staying with you," Kyoko said and Kuon shook his head.

"I'll come with you. I'll use you to get access to certain places," he tried to joke and Kyoko nodded sadly. Kuon used to be the best actor in all of Japan and was very popular and well-known but none of that seemed real anymore. She had stolen that from him and Kyoko would do anything to give him back the life that he had once built for himself.

…

…

Kyoko looked around at the busy streets of Tokyo and she felt people stare at her, some with worry in their eyes but as soon as Kuon took her hand in his they seemed to disappear more from her view. She turned to him, grateful that she had his support even if he was dead to the world. She blinked, he did look different. His golden hair was longer and tied back and he wore a white hoody with blue tee and jeans. His face even looked softer apart from the emerald eyes which had stayed the same. She could see how he could appear to be just another random foreigner to people around them.

"Is it Icarus now?" Kyoko whispered as they started to walk towards the LME building. Kyoko turned to the side and kissed his arm. He nodded.

"Icarus," he replied before looking at the people walking around and only people glancing at him because he looked foreign and he was with Kyoko. They didn't know who he had been the first time he had lived. He wasn't forgotten. Ren Tsuruga was remembered by nearly everyone but they couldn't connect him with who he had been.

Kyoko smiled weakly as she saw Maria walking away from the agency. Maria stiffened as she saw her.

"Hey," Kyoko said and Maria looked down with tears in her eyes. Kyoko flinched. Had she done something that had led to these tears? She hadn't meant for Maria to start crying and she felt terrible about it. Nobody wanted to see their friends crying.

"I'm sorry," Maria told her, "I know that it was an accident and I'm really impressed by your powers but…" Maria shook her head before running forwards and hugged Kyoko despite the pain that she was feeling. Kyoko knew at once that this pain was about Ren's death. Ren had been such an important person to Maria who now felt that she would never see him again.

"I really am sorry," Kyoko squeezed her close, "Maria-chan, I am so sorry. I know that I did a terrible thing. I didn't mean for him to die. I really…" she turned to Kuon who shook his head. Wouldn't it be easier to tell people that he was standing right there, he just looked very different.

"I want to forgive you," Maria sniffed as she felt the tears slip down her cheeks, "but I'm not there yet."

"I understand," Kyoko whispered before she put a hand on the ground and some of the nearby flowers bloomed. Was this the uncontrollable magic that Kuon had told her about. "I understand," she nodded. "I love him very much too."

Maria looked around as she felt the warmth and the lighter area. She looked to Kyoko before taking a few steps back and turned to Kuon. She paused as she studied him. Kuon looked between the two girls before hearing Maria's voice. "Are you her teacher?" she asked. "You have his eyes? Is that natural in the magic world?"

"I _am_ her teacher," Kuon nodded. "My name is Icarus. I'm here to make sure that Kyoko lives a good and happy life," he said and Maria blinked.

"Your eyes are just like his," she repeated and Kuon shifted uncomfortably. "It's almost as if you could be him."

"He is him," Kyoko stated and Kuon looked at her in a slight moment of panic. "I don't see why Maria-chan shouldn't know. She believes in magic afterall."

Kuon dropped his head. He felt guilty that he was keeping his friends at such a far distance but it seemed fair to them. Kyoko hadn't realized that he had actually spent a long time between the world that they were now in and that part of the afterlife. He had been alone and aside from those he had trained with he had gotten used to being alone. Establishing friendships and connections didn't seem right when there were other dangers surrounding them.

"Yes," he admitted and Maria looked at him with a smile spreading over her face. "Yes, I am…or I used to be Kuon Hizuri and Ren Tsuruga but I can't use that body anymore," he told her and Maria blinked as she watched him. "People think that I'm dead. Coming back to life is a strange concept that …"

"It's okay," Maria told him, "You don't seem to be diseased and covered in maggots."

Kuon stared at her confused. Diseased and covered in maggots? What kind of stories had Maria been reading…then again, given the type of stuff that she did believe in and the tricks that she had pulled in the past on actresses that had come close to him, it did seem to be more like her.

"Thank you," he said as people started to whisper about Kyoko's return and his death. "I'm escorting Kyoko to see some old friends, visit some familiar places."

"Your name isn't Kuon anymore, is it?" Maria asked and Kuon sighed, shaking his head.

"It's Icarus," he tried to tell her and Maria hugged him. Kuon hugged her close, making sure to bathe her in this warm and healing magic that he now controlled. Maria closed her eyes, feeling that familiarity and then looked back at LME.

"We should go and see Grandfather," she said and Kyoko took a weak breath in.

"Is that…is that possible to do that?" she asked and Maria nodded excitedly. Kyoko didn't know whether the same excitement would be inside the building. She had turned into a murderer. She wasn't the person that she had been in the past and she had hurt people unwillingly. She now had a grasp over the good and the light but was it enough to make up for the crimes that people might think she committed.

"Of course it is," Maria smiled as she tugged Kuon in. She grinned to him, "I think that I prefer you as Ren but you still look really good in that body," she said and he nodded weakly.

…..

…..

Kuon was sitting on a bench with a visitor's badge on him. He had wanted for Maria and Kyoko to see the president together. Lory knew about who he was from the reintroduction when he had been with his father but he hadn't told Kyoko that. His father had wanted for him to be protected and a good way of doing that was through the president. Kuon looked around at people talking about their acting skills, their new plans, how much work they'd have to put in.

As strange as it sounded, this world was foreign to him. Yes, the world of acting and stardom had become foreign to Kuon and it no longer carried his interest as it had when it was the majority of his life. He felt selfish as he thought about how trivial these people's lives were. They had no idea about the greater world.

Kuon bowed his head trying to ignore the things happening around him but one voice really struck him. He stood up as he saw Yashiro talking about paperwork and carrying a good amount of files. Were these for his new client? Kuon also saw how thin he was and how he was wearing black. His death couldn't seriously have caused that much pain to him.

Kuon took a few steps forward, "Hi, Yashiro-san," he said and Yashiro turned to him incredibly confused.

"Hi…" he said slowly before seeing those green eyes and laughed stiffly, "Have we met?"

 **End of Chapter Twelve**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Eleven**

Erza, H-Nala, Kaname671, paulagato


	13. Chapter 13 - Existence of Kuon

**Chapter Thirteen – Existence of Kuon**

"I've been told that you're going to be my manager during my time at LME," she said and Yashiro raised an eyebrow. His voice and expression grew distant and cold and he put the paperwork into his bag before shutting it tightly. "I mean, to know that I was getting Tsuruga Ren's old man-"

"I am not anyone's manager and the LME staff should have told you that were you a new hire," Yashiro replied quite sternly. He shook his head and looked at him again and Kuon could realize that he had no idea who he was and he was debating whether or not to spread the secret. Maria knew and, no offense to her, Yashiro was much better at keeping secrets. He had been trained to do so.

"You were Tsuruga's manager though and with his passing don't you need someone else to represent," Kuon continued and Yashiro stood very still, the air around him growing tense. Yashiro sorted some of the paperwork again although Kuon felt that he already had it perfectly sorted.

"Ren Tsuruga was someone who was truly special to me. It doesn't matter if I meant the same to him but I viewed Ren as a younger brother. I cared about his happiness and I cared about his health, his work duties, but more than anything I wanted for him to have a strong career and a happy life. I spent a lot of my time as his manager and even if he didn't consider me a friend, I considered him one."

Yashiro looked ahead at the industry and then pushed a hand through his hair, his shoulders slumping as he felt that great sadness from within. "I probably shouldn't be telling you this. I don't even know me and anything I let slip might lead to my client's memory being soiled. He left behind a legacy that I and so many others want to protect."

"Because he was the son of Hizuri Kuu, right?" Kuon asked and Yashiro stared at him before shaking his head.

"Because he _was_ Tsuruga Ren. Although I am honored that I got to know the man who was actually Kuu's son, he wasn't living a complete lie. I know that he had internalized Ren and though there were things that would leave if he ever stopped being Ren, you can never pretend to only be a role," Yashiro turned away but Kuon could see the grip that he had on the suitcase. He had to at least admit to himself that he would be going through this much pain were the roles reversed. If Yashiro were the one who had died then Kuon would have felt pain at that fact.

"What killed him?" Kuon asked and Yashiro turned.

"It would be impossible to explain," he said before starting to go towards the building and Kuon turned from side to side, there was nobody watching him and so it would be all right. Focusing his attention on a large poster at the side of the building in front of Yashiro, Kuon turned his attention to that poster and made it seem to curl itself up, sparkling as it did so. He took slow breaths before unraveling the poster and moving the ink on it to the ground. He then brought his hand up and rearranged some of the colors to a picture of Kuon and put underneath it the words: he wasn't worthy.

Yashiro was panicking as this strange man seemed to play around with objects as if they didn't mean much to him, as if they were inconveniences that could be used as tools and when he saw the picture of Kuon, Yashiro felt his heart pause and the words let a cold chill run down his body. He stared at the man and felt his own anger.

"Kuon Hizuri was an amazing man! I am not going to let anyone poke fun at his legacy" he argued and Kuon faced him with a raised eyebrow.

"He was someone who got himself murdered because he wanted to protect a young woman he cared for. All of this fame and fortune that you think that he's worthy of, Kuon Hizuri was just a madman who let down his family and everyone around him. He amounted to a corpse at the end of his life."

Yashiro turned back and Kuon saw anger that was rarely seen in his expression. "Maybe he never felt this way towards me, maybe I was a joke to him or someone who would never learn the person that he truly was but Ren held the place of a younger brother to me. I am not going to let you…or any of this power…destroy him."

"Why would you risk your life for him?" Kuon said as he cleared the ink from the sidewalk and Yashiro stared at him. "You do see my power. You do understand that I have skills that you would only achieve in death."

"You…you achieved your skills in death?" Yashiro asked confused and Kuon nodded.

"Yes, why, does that frighten you?" Kuon asked and Yashiro turned to him.

The former-manager took slow breaths and then rose his head, "Can you please give a message to Kuon if you ever find him. Tell him that I don't judge him, that I always treasured those moments of friendship with him, and that I miss him and thank him for giving more meaning and purpose to my life. Even if he could have never viewed me as a friend or an older brother, he has always mattered an incredible amount to me that is worth much more than money."

…..

…

Lory watched Kyoko as she sat in front of him with her hands on her knees. He could sense that there was something different about her this time but that would have easily been figured out. The last time he had seen her was when she had been killing Kuon accidentally. The boy had risked his life to help her deal with power that she wasn't in control of. She didn't kill him, he died in an attempt to protect her.

It was all thanks to Kuu that he had been able to come back.

"So, I think that I can see that boy's influence on you," he smiled and gestured to the way that Kyoko's posture was still very polite and formal. "I'm getting more of the idea of a healer or white mage this time.. Those are often very common in video games and white mages have magic spells that can do wonders on the human heart."

" _Kuon_ gave me those powers," Kyoko said before looking away. She felt a little nervous as she continued to speak to him, the next words were very personal and Kyoko still wasn't entirely sure of what to make of them. "He's not Kuon any longer though. It would be right to say that those are the powers which Icarus possesses."

"That boy truly has flown into the sun far too many times," Lory chuckled as he reflected on the name. "So, is young Icarus doing well?" he asked and Kyoko nodded again. "I'm surprised that he didn't come."

"He did," Kyoko nodded. Kyoko took a slow breath, "You do know that he doesn't look like himself anymore?" she asked and Lory nodded. "I think that he can show his true form to people if they have accepted that he might be alive but him doing that would put the elements at risk. I just wanted to know if I could remain in contact with the agency."

"I'm not sure how you'd fare but if you could have patience, things will get easier for you to come back after a few more months," Lory attempted to explain. He didn't want to go into the fear that the staff and those who had been present for Kuon's death held about Kyoko. What she had done was something nobody had felt was possible and the uncertainty would cause conflict at the agency. Lory needed just the right idea to smooth it over. Kyoko nodded and Lory watched her. "I do think that Kuon's new look is impressive, he would be able to be a clear favorite in the acting and modeling departments,"

Kyoko nodded. It wasn't just that he looked eye-pleasing and attractive but the white magic had filled him with this indescribable draw to anything positive or happy. He would definitely become even more unstoppable than Ren was. He looked like a god descended from the other world.

"Thank you," Kyoko said as she stood up and dropped down into a bow.

"Kyoko-chan," Lory said as he saw her getting up to leave the office, "I do have one request for you though. I, of course, will keep contact with you and let you know when it feels safe for you to come back here but could you tell Kuon…or Icarus that I will always welcome him back with open arms."

Kyoko nodded and took a shaky breath in before steadying herself and went out of the office in the direction of where the elevator was. She sighed as she managed to get onto the lower floor and then saw Yashiro there. She froze. She knew that Kanae would accept her but Yashiro was a tricky one and he appeared to be in mourning. He was grieving Ren's death and she had been said to have caused it. Would he hate her for this?

"Kyoko-chan?" he asked as he walked over to her and Kyoko felt herself grow stiff and she dropped into a formal bow. "Nobody thought that you would return here."

"I had to return," Kyoko replied and Yashiro nodded.

"Have you…I don't suppose you have….did they ever…" Kyoko looked at the way his expression showed that the strong wall around him was breaking and he was pained in too many ways over the loss of his client. Kyoko knew that Yashiro was a very caring person and she knew that she had been the one who had led to Kuon's death and that Yashiro would only want to help were he to know the truth but this was Kuon's situation to talk about when he wanted to.

"Kuon died because he was killed by the black magic I possessed. He is here in Tokyo today but only because Kuu-sama dragged him from the afterlife and is protecting him. I have been being trained by Kuon because he shares these powers. I can't really talk about him and he has had to take on a different appearance and identity," she said and Yashiro listened very carefully. Kyoko knew that most people would think that she was speaking in a crazy manner.

"He's isolating himself from those who love him, isn't he?" Yashiro asked and Kyoko shook her head.

"Not me or his parents. He's changed," Kyoko said and then felt Icarus walk over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. Yashiro's eyes widened as he saw the man from earlier, the man who had the green eyes that the photo of Kuon had, the same green eyes as his mother had.

"Kyoko, are you ready to go?" he asked before turning and Yashiro looked between the two of them in shock.

"Kuon?" he asked and Kuon took a deep breath and started to walk away and away from the agency.

"My name is Icarus."

 **End of Chapter Thirteen**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Twelve**

Erza, H-Nala, Kaname671,


End file.
